#as long as you study 1+ hour a day AND make a study plan that will work you toward reading ability

[rigelmejo]

Thoughts after 9 years of learning Japanese

As you all know, this is going to include rambling. This is not a record of all the things I've done, and the recommendations contained are what I wish my past self would have done - they do not necessarily apply to you. Everyone is going to have their own path that works best, their own mistakes, and what helps me may not apply to everyone.

First mistake I made:

Severely underestimating how much time it would take to learn to do stuff in Japanese. FSI estimates put Japanese as taking 3520 hours (88 weeks at 40 hours a week) for English speakers to learn to around an upper intermediate/B2 level. I did not know that when I started studying Japanese. I didn't even think about looking up an estimate of how many hours I'd need to study to reach my goals, until 4 years into learning.

So I spent 3 years studying 15 minutes a day on average. And then wondered why I was still a beginner. So after 3 years, I'd studied around ~273.75 hours. No wonder I was still a beginner!

I was studying Japanese, while also studying French (for 30 minutes to 2 hours a day some months, average was probably .5 hours a day), and while also studying Russian one of those years (for 1-4 hours per day the year I focused on it - I needed to understand daily conversations ASAP). So Japanese was getting neglected, I had no time to spare for it. Even though out of all the languages I was studying, it probably required the MOST hours to hit progress milestones. With French, progress went 'slow' because I was only studying .5 hours a day, but in 2 years I'd studied 365 hours and had decent reading skills (A2-B1, not sure but wikipedia and news became readable), and I could just keep reading in regular life to maintain and improve my French from there. Russian I stopped studying once I no longer needed it in my daily life.

Finally, after 3 years, of just trying to study the same 300 kanji... I decided to change my study plan. As part of that, I also increased my study time per day for a while, so my study hours started going UP. That probably would have helped no matter what else I did. I just needed a LOT more study hours dedicated to Japanese. No matter what else I did.

If I could go back, I would tell past me that whatever I planned to do to study Japanese, to do it 1+ hour daily. Ideally, as many hours as I could be motivated to do it. 15 minutes was way too little study time per day to see big milestones of progress like hitting A2, B1, B2 skill competence etc. (Or the JLPT equivalents N5, N4, N3, N2, N1).

Second mistake I made:

Being a PERFECTIONIST. Being a perfectionist is not very compatible with learning a language - when learning a language includes imperfect understanding of materials for native speakers for YEARS, and making mistakes in the language for YEARS as you learn how to express yourself better. We made mistakes in our native languages for at least 10 years! For many of us, we made mistakes for 20+ years and still need grammar help sometimes when writing essays or other things. Learning a language is signing up to do it all again, with another language, which we will never be perfect at either. Learning a language is not compatible with perfectionism.

In a way, once I learned being a perfectionist about my study was holding me back, it made: language study way more fun and rewarding, and also helped me practice NOT being a perfectionist. Which was really healthy for me, and freeing, and such a positive in my life that I kept the hobby of studying languages. Because it was SO good for my mental health to embrace making mistakes, and embrace imperfection as the path to improving at the things I wanted to do.

Why was I a perfectionist those first 3 years?

I had taken a Japanese 1 class the first few months of learning Japanese seriously - an excellent class. We did 6 chapters of Genki 1. A class was good for me, in that it FORCED ME TO MOVE FORWARD. I had to move onto the next chapter's grammar and words, I had to practice speaking and writing, I had to accept some level of 'imperfect understanding' to keep up with the fast pace of the class - since I only had so much time in the day to study. If you, like me, tend to be perfectionist? I highly recommend taking classes if possible, that progressively teach more, so you are forced to progress through the material and forced to challenge yourself regularly. So if there's a Japanese series of courses available to you? Then taking the classes as they teach from N5 gradually to N2-1 material, will push you to simply make forward progress.

An added benefit of classes: even if you barely study because of your own motivation, the class will FORCE you to study Japanese at least ~7 hours a week. So with semesters of ~15 weeks, that's 105 hours a semester, and at 2 semesters a year that is 840 hours after 4 years of college classes. More, if you took summer classes or did any independent study OUTSIDE of class, which may put you over 1000 hours after 4 years. Which is going to put you a lot closer to the goals you have, compared to the measly few hundred hours I had after 3 years.

Basically, if you have perfectionist tendencies OR you don't tend to make time for study much, classes will MAKE you overcome those tendencies to a degree.

After 1 semester, I didn't take any more classes. Realistically, I probably could have finished Genki 1 in another few months, then started Genki 2 and finished it in a year, then started Tobira and finished that in another 1-2 years, and reached an N3 level in Japanese in 3-4 years. I did not do that. I spent the next 2.5 years going over Genki 1 over and over, and going over the 300 basic kanji in a book I found, over and over. My perfectionism insisting I perfectly memorized ALL words, ALL grammar, and could use it WELL before moving on. So I held myself back.

So if I could go back and talk to my past self, I'd tell them to pace my study similar to a class. To ignore the urge to fully memorize and be perfect, and push myself through a textbook chapter every 1-2 weeks like my Japanese class had been paced.

If I had just done that, I could have been N4 level in a year (~A2 level, upper beginner). From there, I could have been N3 in another year (B1, lower intermediate), and from there I could have started enjoying media made for Japanese native speakers after 2 years! But that's not what happened lol.

So finally, after 3 years of basically barely studying (15 minutes a day) and re-studying the same absolute beginner materials (Genki 1 and 300 kanji) I decided something needed to change. I had to do something, I wanted to read manga and play video games in Japanese.

Third mistake I made:

Not realizing the importance of specific goals. I went on to waste another year, so year 3-4, studying things that were not directly useful to me.

By specific goals I mean: knowing specifically what you WANT TO DO in the language, and making a study plan to specifically WORK TOWARD THAT GOAL.

An example would be: I want to read Ranma 1/2 manga in Japanese. Specific study plan for that goal: opening up Ranma 1/2 manga and looking up every unknown word and grammar point. OR, for a more general study plan, learning 2000 common words that are bound to come up in most materials, reading a grammar guide summary like Tae Kim's Grammar Guide, and then trying to read Ranma 1/2 manga and look up key unknown words.

So year 3, I looked up what other people were doing to learn Japanese on their own. I learned a lot of people used Heisig's Remember the Kanji book to learn kanji, to make kanji understandable before they started learning Japanese more. I learned a lot of people made mnemonics stories and posted them online - which was good, because I got RTK and struggled to come up with my own mnemonic stories - so I looked up mnemonic stories other people made and read them. I learned a lot of people used anki, so I started using anki. My brain is NOT compatible with anki, long term. I learned that lol. For short periods of a few weeks, I'd manage to study 200-500 hanzi, then I'd forget about the app for a few weeks or months, then come back and have to RESTART since I had to review every anki card again. And again, my perfectionism was holding me back and insisting I 'keep studying' the hanzi in RTK until I perfectly remembered them. And thus, I wasted another year.

Year 4, I could recognize maybe ~500 kanji by meaning, but did not know any actual words. Such as words written with kanji combinations, and what the kanji were actually pronounced like in different words. So I still felt like I knew nothing useful.

Finally, I reflected on how on earth I'd learned to read in French before. I remembered 'oh yeah, I looked up specifically 'how to learn to read in a language' and then followed the advice I found. So basically, with French I had MADE A SPECIFIC STUDY PLAN FOR A SPECIFIC GOAL.

I decided to do the same for Japanese, and this was the first time I made major progress. I looked up 'how to learn to read Japanese' (a goal I will keep setting, in Chinese later, as learning to read is super important to me apparently). I found a few articles of people sharing what they did, and then I stumbled upon Nukemarine's Let's Learn Japanese (LLJ) Memrise user-made course (it used to be called Standard Guide to Japanese Literacy SGJL). The course was perfect. It was free, it included kanji with mnemonics stories, AND words, AND words in sentence examples, AND grammar points, and audio for everything. It was made to build up someone's ability to read in Japanese, and included 6000 common words and all grammar in Tae Kim's Grammar Guide. It was perfect for a perfectionist like me - I could just work through it and know I was working toward my goal, who could not focus with a bunch of resources - it was one single resource with everything I needed in one place in a specific order I could follow. I had a specific study plan, FINALLY, to learn to read Japanese - to learn to DO something in Japanese. Something specific I wanted to do, that would motivate me to study a lot (which I needed), and all I had to do was follow the courses in order.

(And reflecting now, I probably also would have done well to just stick to Textbooks... as well made ones also would've provided the things I needed, in one place. A big mistake I made was not realizing Genki 1 was only Beginner 1 and would not even take me to Upper Beginner 2/Lower Intermediate. Most language textbooks, especially mass produced ones like Teach Yourself and Assimil, usually get a student to A2/Lower Intermediate. So I had assumed Genki 1 was the same... in reality Genki textbooks are WAY slower paced than other language textbooks, providing ~1700 words after Genki volume 1 AND volume 2 textbooks, whereas many other beginner textbooks tend to provide ~2000 words in 1 volume. If I had known earlier Genki 1 had so little information to learn, I would've gone through it faster).

So anyway. I find Nukemarine's LLJ Memrise courses in year 4, and cram study them. I get hyperfocused, and get through 4 of the course sections in 6 months. I learn at this point in my life, that for me, if I prioritize NEW items and simply skip reviews unless I have spare time for them, the knowledge on the items still sticks fairly well. And my perfectionism rears its ugly head when I start doing reviews, and getting obsessed with doing reviews over new-items, and then get stuck in a cycle of trying to continue reviewing until I'm perfect. So I started prioritizing learning/studying NEW items, and only doing Reviews if I had spare time. It made a huge difference for me, and I'd continue following this pattern in future study.

In 6 months, I'd gone through 4 course sections, and I was feeling motivated! I'd studied 1000 kanji, 2000 words, and a lot of grammar! I started wanting to TRY my goals. So I started picking up manga, and trying to read them, and looking up any key unknown words that I needed to understand to follow the main idea. This was similar to what I'd done way back when learning to read French. It worked!

It was going great! I read Yotsubato volume 1, Ranma 1/2 volume 1, Neon Genesis Evangelion volume 1, School Rumble vol 1, and a couple other easy manga I owned. So the next 6 months of year 4 I was enjoying actually DOING my goals. I was reading manga, looking key unknown words up. I tried playing Kingdom Hearts 2 and Persona 3 a few times in Japanese that year, and over time the games became easier to play. At first, it was exhausting, too hard, and then eventually I seemed to have 'permanently remembered' a lot of common words and the games were still 'exhausting' to focus on for more than a few hours but I could understand enough to play and look up key unknown words and follow the main idea. I have really fond memories of playing the opening of Kingdom Hearts 2 in Japanese, and understanding enough to compare it to the English localization, and noticing they used 'kimi' as 'you' instead of 'anata.'

What I learned from that whole of year 4 was: if I had just set that specific goal (to read), and made a study plan to specifically do it, then I could've been doing those things at the end of year 1!

Lessons learned and applied to Chinese:

By year 5, I could play some games I wanted to in Japanese and look up key unknown words, and I was satisfied. I felt that if I wanted to improve my Japanese some more, I could just read/play a lot of Japanese and look up words, for a period of time.

I watched Guardian chinese drama. I fell in love with it. I found out it was based on the novel Zhenhun by priest. At the time, the novel was not fully translated.

I decided I wanted to learn Chinese. I managed to avoid so many of the mistakes I'd made before with Japanese. I had a clear goal: read Zhenhun ASAP. I had a clear study plan: do what worked in French and Japanese, to learn to read ASAP. I had a much better idea of what I needed: structured study materials to work through, focused on common words and grammar points ASAP, prioritizing learning new things over reviews, and getting to PRACTICING reading as soon as possible. As once I started reading, that would motivate me and allow me to keep learning, mainly by just continuing to read. Just like it had with French, and eventually with Japanese.

I also dedicated 1-2 hours daily to Chinese, since I wanted to make fast progress. This was more time than I ever spent on French daily, and I was aware by that point that a language like Chinese was going to take me more hours to reach each progress milestone than a language like French. Because I was studying Chinese 4 times more time than French daily, I actually reached progress milestones in Chinese in around the same amount of months it had taken for French.

So by 3 months I could read Graded Readers in Chinese, by 6 months I could read higher unique character count Graded Readers in Chinese (1000-3000 unique hanzi), and by 6 months to a year I was reading webnovels and looking up key unknown words in Pleco. The whole year 1 of studying Chinese, I kept trying to read Zhenhun every once in a while, to remind myself of my goal and to see my incremental improvement. Also in year 1 I found Silent Reading/Modu and fell in love, it was also not fully translated. I spent a lot of time reading Modu in mtlnovel.com, the first time I read Traditional Characters, and tried to compare them to the English MTL and tried to understand the chapters. Since the only option was MTL, and I knew there were errors in the MTL, so I looked up key words in Chinese and compared to the MTL to try and understand what the chapters actually said. I think I read 20 chapters in mtlnovel.com in Chinese of Modu that year. Then eventually E Danglars made their lovely English translation of Modu, and I was so happy, and read that instead.

Year 2 of learning Chinese, I really focused on learning to Extensively Read - be able to read without looking up words, and guess unknown words from context. Year 2 I read Xiao Wang Zi in a paper book, which was challenging and took 2 weeks but I did it. I found Heavenly Path Notion Site and their recommendations, and read their recommendations for Beginners both intensively (to look up lots of words and learn them ASAP) and extensively (to build reading stamina and speed). I read a lot of webnovels, and fanfictions, and some manhua that year. I watched some cdramas only in Chinese, no English subs. It was going great, I was spending 1-2 hours on Chinese still.

Year 3 of learning Chinese, I took a break. My goal had been to read, and I could now do that if I intensively read by looking up key unknown words for anything I wanted to read. I could also extensively read some things, and I knew from experience now that as I kept extensively reading things, over time what I could extensively read would increase. So I had no pressing reason to improve my Chinese, to study regularly, and I stopped.

I got back into learning Japanese! So now we are in year 7 since I started learning Japanese. I took 2 years off, while I'd been entirely focused on Chinese.

I went back to reading Japanese, and found that thanks to Chinese hanzi-near-cognates in meaning, I could read WAY MORE without looking things up than I used to be able to. I could watch Japanese lets plays if I turned the Japanese captions on, I could read most manga I owned and understand the main idea without looking up any words, I could play my Japanese video games and read the text 'roughly' with the help of the hanzi-near-cognates. I could watch some Japanese shows, if I had the Japanese subs on, and follow the main idea without looking up any words.

Apparently what it took for me to learn kanji, was to learn Chinese hanzi instead - which had been a much easier quicker process for me lol. It took months to learn 1000 hanzi in Chinese, whereas Japanese it had taken me 4 years to learn 1000 kanji! I think the phonetic component of hanzi made them much easier for me, and they clicked easier in my brain, and I still struggle with remembering kanji pronunciations...

So anyway. That floored me. Suddenly realizing, even if I bought a Japanese eBook, I could kind of read it for the main idea! Even if I looked up no words. I had learned more grammar over the years in Japanese than expected, since the hiragana parts of grammar were somewhat understandable too.

Year 7 of Japanese: I really focused on LISTENING to Japanese. Because my weak spot was that I did NOT know many hiragana only words, and I did not know the pronunciation of many kanji words, and I was kind of 'coasting' and able to read what I wanted with my Chinese hanzi knowledge.

I found japaneseaudiolessons.com, and it really helped my ability to parse spoken Japanese faster. My perfectionist tendencies kicked in though, and I ended up reviewing more than moving forward to the next lesson.

I found Japanese Glossika, the old CD courses at a library, and tried to use them too - again, perfectionism kicked in and I did more reviewing than learning new things.

I learned about the 'relistening study method' recommended by a youtuber: relisten to something 5-20 times, and it will improve your listening skills. So I tried out what they said. I had found 'condensed audio' files of some japanese anime I'd seen and games I'd played, so I relistened to them several times. It helped my listening skills for sure.

I also applied the 'relistening' strategy to Chinese, to Zhenhun audiobook and Guardian show condensed audio files, it also worked great.

I realized I had a major weak spot in Listening Skills, and wanted to improve it in all languages.

I think at some point I also took a break to study Spanish, and specifically to study French pronunciation in comparison to Spanish, because I kept confusing Spanish and French reading materials. So I did that for some summer, and really differentiated the sounds of Spanish and French in my mind. Incidentally, since I was trying out a lot of Spanish learning materials for fun - I enjoy checking out learning materials and trying them out - I ended up able to read Spanish non-fiction books by the end of that period. Yes, reading motivates me intensely. I'd found a Linguistics textbook in Spanish at a yard sale and wanted to read it, so I learned enough Spanish to understand it in a year. I had also found The Nature Method textbooks like Le Francais Par Le Methode Nature, and Poco a Poco, and was trying them out.

Year 7 I also learned about the Listening Reading Method of studying, which fascinated me, and I tested it out with Chinese, French, and Japanese. I mostly did it with Chinese, as I most wanted to improve my listening skills in Chinese. And since it also helped with reading skills, it pushed my Chinese reading skills up a bit more. But the Listening Reading Method was really intensive, so I only ended up doing it for around 30 hours (instead of the ~300+ hours per book it recommends). I picked up some of the parts I liked of the LR Method and still do them now - specifically listening to audio AS I read when possible, and relistening to audiobook chapters several times when I have time. But the full LR Method was too much work for me, took too much focus, and it wasn't compatible with the way I like to do things.

I figured I might try Listening Reading Method out again later with Japanese, if and when I felt like it. Or at least the parts of it I ended up continuing to do - like reading along with audio, and relistening to audio many times.

Year 8 of Japanese: Still working on listening skills, this was 2024, as you know I worked through all of the NEW Japanese Glossika app course. It was a disappointment. I don't think it actually taught more than 3000 words, even though it's labelled as having 5,000+ words - I think many of the 'words' are just different forms of the same verb counted as multiple words. I spent 128 hours on it, so more study time than I'd spent on Japanese in years, but as many hours as there are days in the year.

In Year 8 of Japanese, I'd been studying Chinese for 4 years, and aside from reading webnovels once in a while, I wasn't doing much with Chinese.

Year 9 of Japanese: I have learned a lot about what study activities work for me and which ones don't. I clearly know my weak spots I need to learn: I need to learn KANJI WORD PRONUNCIATIONS and spoken Japanese better, so that I can read the actual Japanese words instead of leaning on hanzi-knowledge, and so I can understand Japanese when I hear it.

My study plans for the future for Japanese (so this year 9 and onward):

Work on listening skills. I will be doing this with Comprehensible Input Lessons (like cijapanese.com), Learner Podcasts (like Nihongo Con Tepper and Japanese with Shun), listening to condensed audio of shows/games, keep watching Japanese lets plays, and just continuing to Play Video Games in Japanese and Watch Japanese shows with only Japanese Subs. I think I know around N3 amounts of vocabulary now, and more if you count words I could quickly pick up after seeing the Chinese hanzi in a subtitle of a show or reading-while-listening. Goals: I would like to understand spoken Japanese better so that I can enjoy jdramas that haven't been subbed, Japanese audio dramas, and Japanese audiobooks.

Work on reading skills, later: Continue reading Tadoku graded readers (free), the graded readers on this free site jgrpg-sakura.com, the japanese reading materials on my.wasabi-jpn.com. I will eventually pay for and use Satori Reader app some time I am hyperfocusing on reading, and read as much as I can on that app, then start practicing reading more with novels+TTS (like the Japanese ebooks I have on Kindle), and reading my paper Japanese novels.

I am not even N4 if I take a mock grammar test, so I'm sure my production skills are nonexistent and very poor. But I do know a decent amount of words which I think is around N3 level, I understand a lot more than I did years ago, and I can do a lot in Japanese that I want to do (especially if I look up key unknown words). To be fair, I think I've still barely studied Japanese ~1000 hours over the years, so just studying/doing MORE hours of Japanese will result in progress. From here on I am satisfied with my future study plans. If the Chinese Listening Experiment continues going as well as it's been going, I may apply things I learn from that study plan, to my study plans for Japanese.

Summary:

My mistakes were not realizing how many hours to reach progress milestones in Japanese was going to take, being a perfectionist and prioritizing reviews over learning new material frequently, and not setting specific goals and making specific study plans for those goals until years had passed.

If you're anything like me I suggest: plan to study regularly for a decent amount of time to work toward ~3520 hours in an amount of years you'd like to reach N2 or N1 by (or whatever your goal level of understanding is), if you have perfectionist tendencies then formal CLASSES may be helpful to push you forward or being self-aware you tend to not focus on new stuff enough and purposely force yourself to regularly frequently move onto studying NEW STUFF, and set specific goals of things you want to do IN the language and make a specific study plan to work towards those goals.

[sugarverse]

Hiii! I was wondering if I could request either long or short fic about Tenya Iida. Likes it can be set in a modern setting where's he's a senior college student who's majoring in business and he has to take one more class to get his degree. It just so happened that the class is in the art building, and it is figure drawing (aka nude drawing) . Since he's just now hearing of the extra class he has to take, he's suddenly shocked when the model is an old friend of his from back home, whom he had a childhood crush on. Not only does his feelings for her come back, but he also has to have 1 on 1 section with the model for educational purposes. I kinda want it to be smut and fluff or however you see it fit. Anyway, I hope it's enough+

hi babe! omg I love this idea I kinda went a lil crazy and made it way too long. I hope u enjoy :)!!

𝘿𝙧𝙖𝙬𝙣 𝙏𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧

word count: 3.5k

mentions of: This is really just the fluff portion of it, kinda suggestive bc he pops a boner and leads to sex in part two. I think I’m going to make a third part simply so the two of you can go on a genuine date andsotheresmoreiidaxblackreaderouthere.

a/n: hells yeah that’s enough, hopefully I did what ya asked and so sorry I went overboard I have serious problems. here’s the smut part bc a 6.7k fic is doing too damn much but i can’t stfu my fault gang

moodboard here!

Tenya Iida.

4th year, Senior in college majoring in International Business and minoring in Spanish at Angelwood College of Arts and Sciences.

The visual arts building had only been a few minutes away from the business side of campus, which he gladly enjoyed the walk. This spring all he needed to finish was two gen ed classes, the rest revolved around his major and minor. His counselor helped set up his ‘missing’ classes before winter break considering he had to fly back to Japan to see his family for the holidays. He was ecstatic to learn all he needed was an art class with lab and a communications class. 

When he asked what the class entailed, all he was met with was “beginner artists learning anatomy.” It didn’t sound difficult, just draw what you see. It would be nice to try something new anyway. He was not much of an artist but like all things Tenya does, he planned to give this class his all. The first week had been pretty easy, learning how to draw what you see with the use of models, shapes, and lines. Nothing too hard to follow. He would practice drawing his friends on the sketchpad he bought specifically for the class as a form of studying in the free time he had.

He neverminded it for the most part, excelling his knowledge in different countries in his free time to get better at his major. Sure they could teach you the technical way to do things, but in the end, everyone is still human. It would be inconsiderate to do business with a country and know little to nothing about their culture! It took almost two weeks for him to finally be able to even start the art project anyway.

As time went on and the January snow grew less and less, it was time to start their first real project of the semester. One on One figure drawing. The class needed to fill out a form explaining their free hours due to the limited art space and everyone's different schedules. Tenya happily filled it out when it was posted, continuing to work on class work from the library so that the lecture room could also be used for said project.

Their professor had explained that in-person class would remain on Mondays and Thursdays. It just worked out better for the models and students to have so much space.

He made the small walk over to the arts building for his last class of the day, a small shine in his glasses as he entered the white light of the room. The walls were anything but bare, artwork and unfinished projects sat in every corner of the room. Paint racks, canvases big and small, even stacks of unused clay. There was a stool sitting on a small platform in the middle of the room, assuming where the model will sit. 

He stood next to the stool for a moment, looking up at the grey February sky through the skylight. The natural lighting was great, almost like a spotlight. He adjusted the lights in the room a moment, dimming them slightly so the white light hadn’t been so harsh on his eyes. He headed over to a more organized table, setting out the art supplies how he liked. He knew he was early, but he wanted to make a good first impression. What’s better than being on time?

He pulled out his laptop, checking that the few assignments for today were done and submitted. A small frown tugged at his lips as he realized he hadn’t finished something completely, typing in the last few answers. He always double checked, technology was reliable.. When it wanted to be. He couldn’t hear the shuffle of slippers against the floor over his typing and frankly, loud thinking. 

He could see someone walk past in a teal robe representing the university's colors. Glancing up from the computer to give the model a proper hello, Tenya opens his mouth to speak but pauses. 

“Y/n?” He asked, almost in a whisper in case he was wrong. A small look of confusion caused him to tilt his head to the side slightly. He hadn’t been able to see you for awhile with such busy schedules, but he knew your silhouette by heart. 

You turn at the sound of your name, mid sliding off the slippers and fumbling with the gold silk of the belt. “Tenya?” You smile, asking as you turn to slide your shoes back on and quickly shuffle your way over to him. He felt his face burn red, frozen in place for a moment with his jaw slack. He stood as if needing to detach from the seat, smiling at your happy demeanor and your quickness to wrap your arms around him. 

“It is you! I know those shoulders from anywhere!” You beamed, feeling his hovering hands slowly place themselves on your back to return the hug. He was very hesitant, simply because you were only in a robe. You pull away, hands resting on your hips and giving him a big smile. “Now what are you doin’ taking a figure drawing class, Mister businessman?”

He let out a sheepish chuckle, “I needed an art credit, W-What are u doing here?” He never had any classes with you at Angelwood, A few honors classes and gym in highschool but other than that, nada. Throughout the course of growing up, your interests drove you to different classes. 

However, classes don't matter when your families are as close as yours and the Iida family. Shared Holidays, playdates, game nights.. It wasn’t like you were some stranger. You both always made time to hang out a few times during the year to catch up without the family just to give a real check on each other. It was his favorite, almost like a mini holiday to talk to you.

He loved spending time with you. You were smart, articulated and incredibly creative. You never took slack from anyone.. Even in middle school he can remember you being the one to stand up and say something when things weren’t right. You were headstrong and determined in anything that you did.. Art majors always get a lot of grief but you never let that deter you. And that was admirable in itself! ..And he had always thought you were so pretty. 

He felt like a kid again, heart feeling as if it’d beat out of his chest at the mere sight of you. It had been around Halloween the last time he saw you, and here it was. Almost Valentine's day.. Still as pretty and bright as he remembered. Your next hangout wasn't for another month or so, so it was nice to see you sooner than that.

“I'm your model, silly!” You head over to the stool, continuing to speak. “The art department asked if I’d help in modeling and I said yes! People were too scared to sign up for the most part. I’m surprised this is the class you picked. Did you want to learn how to draw people?” You slide your slippers off once more, untying the cute bow on your hip that held your robe shut. 

Suddenly the room was very hot and he couldn't breathe. Now his heart really WAS beating out of his chest. He quickly did a 180, shielding his eyes and removing his glasses for extra measure. “WHY– do yoU have.. nothing on underrrrneath?” He croaked, voice cracking as his tone raised slightly.

You tilt your head at such a question, the gears clicking a little later than they should have. “Figure drawing is um.. Nude drawing, Tenya. You didn't know that?” You slide the robe back on, giggling at the flustered man across from you. You could see his shoulders tense, shaking his head slowly.

Now how the fuck could he have missed that.

“I um.. No, I didn't. I thought that it was.. I don't know what I thought. My counselor picked it for me and I.. Most models we've used so far have.. had skin colored undergarments… On.” He let out a nervous laugh, keeping his glasses off. He turns around, cleaning them with the end of his shirt but refusing to look up at you. He needed to mentally prepare his brain to be professional in a situation like this. Not that he minded the glance, he just never thought this would be how..

You prop your feet onto the edge of the stool, interrupting his thought. You held your knees up to your chest so he couldn’t see anything but your bare legs. “Oh Ten, I’m sorry! I can ask someone else to-”

“No! I am perfectly.. capable. It's professional and I can be.. professional..” He put his glasses back on, hand refusing to be steady as he did so. He let out a shaky sigh, smiling at you and finally looking at you once more.

You let out a small laugh at the blush on his cheeks. He was so handsome, but to see him so flustered over little ol’ you? It made your week. “We can start slow, that might help.” you slide the robe down your shoulders, slowly putting your legs back down so he could see your robed torso once more. You stopped at the top of your breasts, letting your collarbone show. “Do you have any specific poses..?” You ask quietly, trying to hold back your amusement.

He sits down, red faced and completely flushed. A nude model.. jeez. From sleepovers to recess, studying together to graduating, and now almost graduating for the final time together. That's something you don’t get to have in every lifetime. But why do these thoughts keep coming back to him now? 

There was no way he could still have romantic feelings for you. He’d never put your friendship at risk like that!

..right?

“I um.. yeah, small.” He cleared his throat, “Could you um.. Could you stand slightly off of the um.. Almost like getting up?” He fumbled over his words, staring at the empty paper as if he could burn the quick image in his brain onto the page to get the embarrassment over with. He sighed once more, trying to focus as he began sketching circles and lines as a starter sketch of the pose he wanted.

“When you need to draw a certain part I'll move it, Sound fair?” You ask, resting one foot onto the stool and one onto the ground. Your hand gripped the seat as your butt sat on the edge, similar to when people do that supposedly hot thing where they throw their head back and pull some weird rope to have water get poured on them. 

It was second nature at this point for people to see you. Of course some of them were flustered and it was pretty awkward at first, but normally not to the point of stuttering and stammering. It wasn’t often that you saw Tenya fall apart, but this was way different. Especially considering you flashed him without warning. He was one of the most endearing people you had ever met, there was no way you would have done that without proper context.

He could only nod in response, not wanting to further make a fool of himself. Lightly tapping the pencil against the table, He looks up at you. “You can um.. re.. remove the top part, y/n..” It was hard to simply draw your arms and collarbone without including the robe, so you might as well rip the band-aid off and start with the top. 

You nod, dropping it happily and letting the robe pull around your hips and between your legs. You close your eyes, facing up toward the skylight in an attempt to make him less nervous. “Sorry for flashing you at first, I would have explained but I assumed you had already known..?” You laugh quietly to yourself at your own mistake. Why would someone like him even take this class if he knew what it actually entailed?

And God, did he feel like a pervert staring at your chest like this. The boner poking his thigh almost immediately didn't help, making it even harder to concentrate. Way to keep composure. He pressed his lips together for a moment before speaking. “I had no idea, I’m sorry for my r..reaction.” He answered, stopping the pencil tapping to actually begin sketching more than just circles and lines. He hadn’t meant to yell, but he felt like he was close to passing out. 

“I think it was a pretty valid one.” You send a reassuring smile his way, seeing him send you one right back. Trying to ease the mood, you look back up at the ceiling and close your eyes to avoid staring at the ugly overcast sky above you. “How was winter break? You get to go home and see your family? How are they?” 

His smile grew wider at your question, scooting under the desk a bit more so that you hopefully wouldn’t notice his body reacting. “They’re great, Tensei is getting married soon,” He sounded excited at the thought alone, incredibly proud of his brother. 

“And my mother has started a hobby making soap, if you can believe it. She sent me some to bring back one that smells like lavender and another that smells like oranges mixed with I believe she said papaya.? She made a coconut smelling one for you– I was going to give it to you the next time we saw each other,” 

The sound of his sketching stopped and started as he spoke, giving your body small glances as he tried to study each part of your upper torso. The way your stomach creased, The way your shoulder was slightly lifted causing your collarbone to be more prominent, the curve of your breasts.. “How was your Holiday, y/n?”

“No way, Tensei is getting married?!” You accidentally stop posing, fully facing him in genuine shock. The robe was still covering your lower half, you had tied the belt to avoid accidentally flashing him again but here we are. You watch his face become even more red, eyes very obviously not meeting yours but still like a deer in headlights. 

You quickly get back to posing how you were, “Sorry Ten, That's amazing!! I hope everything goes smoothly for him and his soon to be wife.. And tell your mommy I said thank you for thinking of me. I can't wait to try it!”

A smile stayed on your lips as you thought about the times you’ve spent in the Iida household. His mother always had the best candles and incense burning, you were positive the soap would be the same. “My family is up to the same old shit, you know them..” You let out a small groan, the holidays weren’t an absolute disaster, but after not being home so long makes you remember why you aren’t going to school anywhere near home. 

“I did get some cool stuff for Christmas though! I got some new clothes and they got me a few art kits. You know, where it teaches you how to crochet? I also have a new diamond painting kit, I haven't opened either yet because it's just been so busy.” You replied, tapping your fingers on the side of the stool where your hand sat. 

You look up once more, this time because the skylight was beginning to be covered in snow. You watched as it fell, thinking back to old times when you and Tenya would spend the last three major holidays with each other. You’d always make sure to trick or treat together, your families have been sharing Thanksgiving for as long as you can remember, and spending the night in your basement on Christmas eve to wait for Santa until you were both too old. Then instead of waiting for Santa, you’d all eat at least one meal together on Christmas day. Sometimes homemade breakfast, other times a small trip to IHOP or Waffle House.

“God damn it.. It’s snowing again..” You let out a small laugh, looking over at him over your shoulder, fingers still tapping away at the base of the stool. “Hey Ten, Do you remember when we used to have those big snowball fights? The one near Red Fern?” 

“Of course I do! You refused to wear any kind of gloves and my mother would make you at least put socks on your hands so you didn’t get frostbite!” The two of you shared a small laugh at the memories of being young and dumb.

“Gloves always made my hands too itchy! They still do– But I kicked your ass in snowball fights with gloves or not.” You retort, a smirk appearing on your face. “Ice queen y/n of everything.” You could remember the insane snowball fights the neighborhood kids would have every. time. It snowed. If there was enough to make a few snowballs, there was enough to start a war. Tenya was always on your team, but it never stopped you from throwing a few his way. The ‘winner’ was King or Queen of the hill and first to sled down, which often enough was you.

“Remember when you almost broke my glasses throwing one right at my face?” He snickered, watching your smirk turn into a small pouty frown. He knew you didn’t mean to, that same day you helped your mom make cookies for him and his family as an apology, even though he wasn’t upset to begin with. But you knew it could have broken his glasses and you would be devastated if you were the reason for it. You were a real sweetheart, even if you had a weird way of showing sometimes.

“Hey! You know that wasn’t on purpose, I felt really bad after! I even let you get me back!” Which was true, but he never aimed for your face. Always a spot on your fluffy coat, never your legs because you hated your pants being wet… and a face shot just felt wrong to him. 

“Yeah, Yeah. I remember that part too,” He smiled to himself. “Those were really good times.. I remember Tensei always bringing us hot chocolate and we’d sit on your porch and draw things in the snow..”

“Oh! And when we’d come back all wet and mom already had spare clothes in her hands because she didn’t want it on the carpet. We’d put on too big clothes just to sit and watch Christmas movies..” You missed those times. But they never really had to stop, you two could have a huge snowball fight after this if you wanted to and the snow stuck. Was he too grown for that? Would it even sound fun to him?

“Do you still watch A Year Without Santa Clause every year?” He asks, breaking your train of thought. You nodded quickly at his question, grinning like a maniac. “Of course I do! And I watch Charlie Brown’s Christmas, Rudolph The Rednosed Reindeer.. And sometimes Spongebob's Christmas Special. Do you still watch old Christmas cartoons?”

“Why wouldn’t I? Don’t wanna ruin tradition.” He answered, pressing his lips together slightly as he stared down at the paper. You can tell he freezes a bit, the sound of his scribbling coming to a stop. He set the pencil down, rubbing the sweat of his hands onto his thighs.

 “You can um.. remOove-..” He quickly cleared his throat, “The rest.” He let out a disappointed sigh at his inability to keep composure. This wouldn't be half the problem it was if it was someone else modeling. But this is you we're talking about. 

“You sure? If you need a minute we can take a break, honey.” You gave him a sympathetic look, still smiling but this time more.. warm. The kind of smile someone gives to another when they genuinely care for them. Or love them for that matter. He adored it, it was the same smile you'd give him when saying he needs to take a break, the same smile you give him when the two of you out to get coffee and catch up. The same smile he's fallen for many, many times. 

But to tell you the truth? It’s driving him crazy. All of this. Was driving him crazy. No matter how hard he tried to be professional, he could stop his wandering mind. You were a goddess. What else was there to do besides take a break and hopefully release some steam in the bathroom or something. Completely inappropriate, but the pain from being hard for so long was starting to cloud the best judgment. 

He looks down at the sketch so far, then back to you as he rubbed his hand upward against his face. It pushed his glasses up, causing them to be crooked when going back down. “I um.. I think I do.. need a minute.” His voice died out as he watched you slide the robe back on, words failing him because couldn’t think completely straight.

© if you like what you see please reblog! It means a lot and helps me out. Want more? Heres my m.list! I write for x black reader so throw me some requests :P my other account are icons and x black reader moodboards if you’re interested!

thank you @thecutestgrotto for the banners and thank you @fizzintine for coloring the top pic!

have a good day/night/whatever!

[dior-luxury]

i dont know if your requests are open but if they are can you pretty please make a part 2 of the how they'd propose to you with other characters like Sebek and Ruggie and anyone else you would like? (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)

How'd They Propose To You

PT.1 [trey clover . jack howl . jade leech . jamil viper . epel felmier . silver] PT.2 [cater . ruggie . floyd . kailm . vil . rook . idia . lilia . sebek]

( ✧ ) ────── boyfriend stories . fluff - gn!reader .

- [𝐜𝐡.] cater . ruggie . floyd . kailm . vil . rook . idia . lilia . sebek

- [𝐩:𝐬] nothing . just the boys being romantic

Note: This series like my 'Kiss And Make-out' series was heavily request so... Part two, here we go!! Also everyone, get your tissues out cause this is going to be an emotional one.. 😭

Cater Diamond

Cater always made everything look effortless. From his impeccably filtered Magicam photos to his playful, lighthearted persona, he was the guy who breezed through life like a summer wind — colorful, vibrant, and hard to pin down. But the moment he realized he wanted to spend his life with you, the thought terrified him. Not because he didn’t want it — but because he did.

You’d been together for a while, enough to see past his curated charm and into the subtle sadness he kept hidden behind his eyes. You saw the moments when his smile faltered just a second too soon, when he stared at old class photos for a beat too long, when he tried too hard to make everyone like him. And despite it all, or maybe because of it, you stayed. You loved him, not the persona.

He wanted to return that love with everything he had.

So he planned it down to the second. Not flashy, not performative, but genuine. A proposal just for you two — no hashtags, no likes, no audience.

You were led on a surprise “casual date” through campus, each place tied to a memory: the greenhouse where you first studied together, the corner of the courtyard where you surprised him with lunch one day, the little music room where you once caught him playing guitar alone. At each spot, he left a small printed Polaroid of the memory, with scribbled notes like “Can you believe you caught me blushing here?” or “Still the best sandwich I’ve ever had, btw.”

Finally, you arrived at the abandoned tower that overlooked the rose gardens. It was dusk — golden hour. A string of soft lights framed the edge of the balcony, and a blanket lay spread out with two drinks, his favorite strawberry soda, and your favorite too.

Cater stood there, not in any extravagant outfit, but in his everyday clothes, a little flushed, a little nervous. His Magicam was nowhere in sight.

“I know I’m not always easy to read,” he began, eyes softer than you’d ever seen them. “I’m a master of filters. And honestly? I’ve spent most of my life trying to be someone that other people like. But with you… I don’t have to be anyone else. You make me feel like being just ‘Cater’ is enough.”

He knelt, pulling out a small velvet box that he almost dropped because his hands were shaking.

“So… if you’ll have me, for all the mess, the moods, and the million selfies — will you marry me? And keep reminding me that being myself is okay?”

His voice cracked, and you could tell it wasn’t a line rehearsed for flair. It was Cater Diamond, bare and honest.

You said yes, of course.

And that night, he took one photo — just one — of the two of you silhouetted against the golden light, laughing through your tears.

No filters. No edits.

Just love.

Ruggie Bucchi

Ruggie Bucchi never thought he’d be the type to propose. Where he came from, marriage was practical, not romantic. You partnered up, you made it work, and you did your best to survive. Love? That was a luxury. He grew up knowing how to scrape by, how to hustle, how to keep smiling when your stomach was empty.

But then he met you — and everything shifted.

You saw past his tricks and street-smart charm, past the sly grin and the mischievous glint in his eyes. You saw someone capable. Someone worth loving, not just useful. And that meant more to him than he ever let on.

He saved for months. Scrimped every madol he could without you noticing. Side jobs, extra errands, even turning down a few schemes with Leona when they felt too risky. He wanted this to be his, something he earned with his own effort. Not flashy — but real.

One day, he invited you to his hometown. He played it off as casual — “Hey, wanna see where the magic began?” — but you could tell he was more nervous than usual. His tail twitched a little more. His jokes came faster. He wouldn’t meet your eyes for too long.

You arrived in the Slums of the Sunset Savanna, where he grew up. It was loud, dusty, and full of kids shouting and running barefoot in the alleys. But Ruggie looked… peaceful. At home. He gave you a tour like it was the royal palace — proudly showing you the bakery where he got day-old bread, the crumbling wall he used to climb for fruit, the school where he taught himself to read better.

That evening, he brought you to a quiet hill just outside the neighborhood. It overlooked the city, bathed in orange from the setting sun.

There was a picnic spread, nothing fancy — some homemade snacks, cold drinks, and a little bread pudding he tried (and failed) to make look neat. The bread was a little burnt. He kept muttering that it wasn't perfect.

And then, out of nowhere, he said:

“Y’know… I used to think I’d just grow up, keep scrappin’ my way through life, maybe end up old and alone with a bunch of stolen pies under my belt.”

He laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck.

“But then you came along and messed it all up — in the best way.”

He reached into his jacket and pulled out a tiny, slightly lopsided ring box. Inside was a simple band with a small, pale gem. Not expensive. Not glittery.

But made with his whole heart.

“I don’t got a palace. I don’t got riches or magic castles or nothin’. But I got you, and I wanna spend every day makin’ you smile. So… what do you say? Wanna keep causing trouble together… forever?”

His ears were flat against his head, and his tail was still as stone.

When you said yes, he lit up like the stars were inside him.

And he never stopped smiling after that.

Floyd Leech

Loving Floyd was like dancing with a storm: unpredictable, wild, sometimes overwhelming — but breathtakingly beautiful. He could be sweet one second, biting the next, and then melting into your arms like seafoam. And through it all, there was something real behind his mercurial moods — a strange, raw devotion that ran deeper than the ocean.

So when Floyd started acting… weirdly consistent, you knew something was up.

No wild mood swings. No threats to squeeze someone into a pretzel. Just this quiet intensity in the way he looked at you, like he was memorizing your every blink.

He’d drag you along for “dates” that were more like mini adventures: exploring underwater caves off the Coral Sea coast, racing each other through twisted kelp forests, picnicking on giant sea turtles (you hoped it was legal). He’d laugh, splash you, nibble your ears when you weren’t looking — but then fall completely silent when you watched the sunset over the waves.

That silence carried something unspoken. Something serious.

Then one day, he brought you to the edge of the Mostro Lounge after hours. No lights. No music. Just the dark water shimmering under moonlight. Jade had subtly cleared the area, probably under Floyd’s “friendly encouragement.”

Floyd stood by the pool, barefoot, wearing loose, sea-salt-dried clothes. He looked wild and untamed, like he’d just swum from the abyss.

“Ne~ shrimpy,” he started, voice low and lilting. “You really stuck around this long, huh?”

He didn’t look at you at first. He stared at the water, watching it ripple like something might rise from it.

“Most people get scared. They say I’m too much—too loud, too weird, too hard to keep up with. Even Jade gets tired of me sometimes, y'know?”

He turned, and for once, his eyes weren’t playful. They were clear — crystalline, serious.

“But you… You let me be me. Even when I’m a pain in the tailfin.”

He stepped forward and pressed a tiny shell into your hand. At first glance, it looked ordinary — until it opened with a soft click, revealing a shimmering, black pearl nestled in its center like a star trapped in the deep.

His hand slipped into yours, fingers squeezing tight.

“So, what d’ya say? Wanna be my forever shrimpy? I can’t promise I won’t get bored sometimes or drag you into weird stuff… but I can promise I’ll never leave. ‘Cause when I say you’re mine, I mean it.”

He grinned then — sharp teeth and all — but there was a rare softness to it.

When you said yes, he scooped you up, twirled you into the air, and shouted your name into the sea breeze like it belonged to him now.

Because, well… it did.

Kalim Al-Asim

His love was the kind of love that sparkled — joyful, loud, radiant. He loved with everything. And when he realized he wanted to spend the rest of his life with you, there was no hesitation. No fear. Just overflowing excitement and the desire to make it perfect.

So naturally… the entire city had to know.

You started noticing little hints. He’d smile at you longer than usual. Ask strange questions like “What’s your favorite kind of flower, just hypothetically?” or “Do you like fireworks or doves better? No reason!”

But the day of the proposal? He kept it hidden perfectly.

You were invited to a “casual dinner” at the Al-Asim family estate — nothing fancy, he swore! When you arrived, the garden was transformed into something out of a dream: floating lanterns bobbed gently in the air, casting a golden glow; fragrant jasmine vines curled around the trellises; rose petals lined the walkways in careful spirals.

And in the center of it all stood Kalim, wearing a white and gold sherwani embroidered with intricate sun motifs — custom-made, obviously.

He took your hand and pulled you close, his smile so big it looked like it hurt.

“Surprise!! Okay okay, I know I said this wasn’t a big deal, but I might’ve lied a little,” he admitted, practically vibrating with excitement. “I wanted this to be special. Because you are.”

He led you through the garden, pointing out little scenes — memories you’d shared together recreated in glowing, magical dioramas. The first time he gave you a ride on his flying carpet. The time you accidentally got stuck in the rain together and danced anyway. Even the first time he tripped and landed face-first in a pile of fruit during a festival. Each one floated in a soft golden shimmer like preserved dreams.

Finally, at the very end of the path, the lights dimmed. Music began — a quiet, melodic tune played by a live ensemble hidden behind silk screens.

Kalim dropped to one knee, pulling out a ring so stunning it looked like it belonged in a treasure vault: warm rose gold shaped like the sun, with a diamond center surrounded by sunstone and opal, glowing faintly with enchantment.

His voice trembled slightly, but his eyes never left yours.

“I know I’m… a lot. Loud, excitable, maybe too much sometimes. But my heart? It’s yours. Every day. Every moment. I want to fill your life with so much joy you forget what sadness feels like. Will you… will you marry me?”

You could barely answer before fireworks burst overhead in a dazzling cascade of color — forming your name, a heart, and then the words “Will You Marry Me?” again for good measure.

He laughed, teary-eyed, pulling you into a spinning hug the moment you said yes, nearly tripping over a pile of lanterns.

And he swore — over spiced sweets and glowing stars — that loving you would always be the most joyful celebration of his life.

Vil Schoenheit

Vil Schoenheit had always been perfection incarnate.

He chose his words carefully, curated his life down to the last detail, and ruled over every room he entered with grace and quiet authority. But love? Love was unpredictable. Messy. Vulnerable.

And yet… with you, he chose it anyway.

For months, he kept the idea of proposing buried beneath a polished exterior. Not because he doubted your love — no, never that — but because he feared imperfection. What if the moment wasn’t enough? What if his words failed him? What if he wasn’t enough?

But one morning, as you were wrapped in a robe, sipping tea while lazily flipping through one of his scripts, looking utterly unbothered by the world — his world — he knew. No stage could rival this.

Still… he had to make it perfect.

The proposal wasn’t sudden. It unfolded like a symphony — days of subtle preparation, each moment building toward the crescendo. First, a handwritten invitation slipped under your door, sealed with gold wax in his personal crest. It read:

“You are cordially invited to an evening of celebration — for a love that deserves the finest stage. Wear what makes you feel radiant. The rest… is mine to handle.”

You arrived at a private rooftop garden in the heart of Maquillaville— Vil’s favorite filming location. Every inch of it had been transformed: strings of enchanted lights that pulsed like heartbeats, violet roses laced with flecks of gold, a crystal runway leading to a single, candlelit platform under the stars.

Vil stood at the end of it, not in a costume, not in a role — just himself. Beautiful, yes, but bare. No stage makeup. No lenses. Just Vil, with his natural elegance and a look in his eyes like he was seeing you and only you.

As you approached, music swelled from invisible instruments — soft piano and violins, as if the stars themselves were holding their breath.

Vil took your hands, his thumb stroking your wrist gently.

“I have played many roles,” he said quietly. “A prince. A villain. A monarch. But none… none compare to the part I’ve played in your life — myself. No masks. No script. You have loved me.”

He lowered himself to one knee, not out of tradition, but reverence. The ring was an opalescent band shaped like a flower in full bloom — not ostentatious, but hauntingly beautiful. Regal. Just like him.

“And I want to spend the rest of my days proving that I am more than a face on a screen. That I am yours — wholly, imperfectly, and honestly. Will you marry me, my dearest?”

Your yes was the kind of answer that echoed through your soul. And when you kissed — fireworks didn’t go off.

But you could’ve sworn the stars shifted.

Rook Hunt

To love Rook Hunt was to walk the edge of obsession — not in a dangerous way, but in a way that made you feel seen. Utterly seen. No piece of you, no habit or flaw, escaped his gaze. And he loved every detail with fervor and poetry.

So, when Rook decided to propose, it wasn’t a question of if or even how. It was a question of when the moment would feel like destiny.

And he waited for it with the patience of a hunter watching from the trees — breathless, quiet, focused.

It came during an autumn evening. The forest outside campus was bathed in gold and amber light, the air crisp and still. He asked you to take a walk, his tone casual, but there was a certain gleam in his eyes. The kind that made your heart stir.

He led you into the woods, deeper than usual, through a path dappled with falling leaves and faint trails of candlelight — candles placed just out of reach, like fireflies guiding you toward something sacred.

Eventually, you came upon a small, open glade. In its center stood a circle of white lilies and dried pampas grass, arranged with almost ceremonial care. Strings of paper birds fluttered from the trees — cranes, owls, hawks — each meticulously folded and each with a word written inside: Admiration. Fascination. Devotion. Enchantment.

You turned to Rook, who now stood behind you with that soft, unreadable smile.

“Mon trésor,” he breathed, voice velvet-smooth. “You are my greatest muse. The most magnificent mystery I’ve ever encountered. I have followed your footsteps, your laughter, your sorrow — and I find myself always… captivated.”

He circled around you like a dancer, his hand brushing your cheek, then resting over your heart.

“To hunt is not merely to chase — it is to understand. To behold. And I understand now that no beauty compares to yours. No thrill equals the way my heart stirs when you smile.”

Then, with the flourish of a magician revealing his final act, he drew from his coat a black-velvet box — aged and worn, like an heirloom passed through generations. He knelt, the golden leaves falling around him like confetti from the sky.

Inside, the ring was unlike anything you’d seen: a twisting band of silver and moss-green enamel, crowned with a delicate white diamond shaped like a feather — symbolizing the pursuit, the admiration, and finally, the surrender.

“Would you, my radiant one, do me the indescribable honor… of being mine, forever? Not as prey. Not as an object. But as the one I choose to walk beside, for all my days?”

When you said yes, Rook exhaled — deeply, reverently — and kissed your hand as if pledging allegiance to a monarch.

Idia Shroud

Proposal? Marriage? Social interaction? That was high-tier anxiety content for him. Even the thought of confessing to you, back when it all started, had nearly sent him into a shutdown spiral.

But now, here you were — his person. The one who understood his silences, who gamed beside him through 72-hour dungeon crawls, who sat beside him in eerie, comforting stillness while the blue glow of his hair flickered in thought. Loving you felt like logging into a private server only the two of you could access — quiet, secure, and safe.

And Idia, for all his dramatics and gloom-posting, loved you with an intensity that didn’t need fanfare. Just… data. And intention.

So, when he decided to propose, he made it a quest.

Literally.

You received a handmade invitation on your phone one morning: "Player 2, your presence is requested for a legendary raid. Final boss: Emotional Vulnerability. Rewards: Eternal Love + Rare Ring Drop. Do you accept?"

He built the whole thing himself: a pixel-art RPG styled just like your favorite fantasy games. The title? “Shroud.exe: A Love Story.”

As you played through it, you encountered your story together — from your first awkward hangouts in the Ignihyde dorm, to the moment you held his hand during a panic attack, to every late-night cuddle session where his hair dimmed peacefully beside you. Every NPC was a digital recreation of your favorite characters (Ortho, obviously, had an adorable role as the overly enthusiastic love-coach sidekick).

Each level was built with custom dialogue, full of Idia’s signature wit and fourth-wall breaking commentary:

“This is the part where MC doesn’t leave me despite my trash social skills. Truly S-tier behavior.”

“Warning: Final boss approaching. His defense stats are ridiculous but he’s got a glass heart. Weak to unconditional love.”

Finally, at the end of the game, the final cutscene began. And instead of sprites on screen, the video feed switched to live camera.

There he was.

Idia. Sitting in his room. Nervously fiddling with something in his hands — a small velvet box. His flame-hair flickered erratically, and he was in a carefully chosen outfit you’d never seen him wear before. Formal, but still unmistakably him.

He looked directly at the camera — right at you.

“I, uh… I figured I should do this in a way that makes sense for me. For us. Not in some overhyped, real-world, normie way with candles and violins and… people.” He cringed just saying that last part.

“But I wanted it to be real. So… here I am.”

He opened the box with trembling fingers. Inside was a ring shaped like a circuit loop, inlaid with glowing lapis and delicate code etchings — the ones you both designed together for fun once. The pattern pulsed faintly with light.

“I’m not good at words IRL, but I can say this: You’re my favorite co-op partner. You made all my side quests feel like main storyline material. So, will you… like, marry me? And maybe keep patching me for the rest of our lives?”

You didn’t even need the dialogue box to appear.

You just whispered "Yes" to the screen — and moments later, Ortho popped into the game world cheering with pixel fireworks in the background.

You looked up — and there Idia was, standing awkwardly in your doorway, holding the ring in real-time. Blushing furiously. Looking like he’d risked everything.

And when you kissed him — he glitched. Heart racing. Code crashing.

And he didn’t want to reboot. Ever.

Lilia Vanrouge

He had watched centuries pass like seasons. He’d lived through empires and starlight, laughter and war. He’d known many things — joy, grief, loyalty, loss — but love? True, soul-deep love? That was rare. Precious.

You, however, had changed that.

He never planned to fall for you. It simply happened. Like a song that begins as a hum and ends in a chorus that takes your breath away. With every shared moment — your laugh, your clever comebacks, your kindness — you pulled him out of memory and rooted him firmly in the now.

And so, one day, when the time felt quiet and right — he began to prepare.

The proposal wasn’t flashy. It was intimate. Lilia’s style had always been part mischief, part myth, part poetry. And so, he invited you to a place he hadn’t shown anyone in centuries.

A clearing deep within Briar Valley’s forest — hidden beneath vines and weeping trees, where the moonlight filtered through like silver lace. Fireflies lit the air in lazy constellations. In the center stood an old, stone ruin covered in moss — a place once sacred to the fae.

Lilia held your hand and stepped into the clearing with you, a small smile on his lips.

“Do you know what this place was?” he asked, voice soft like dusk. “It was a fae courting ground. We used to come here when we were ready to say, ‘This is it. This is the one I’ll write songs about.’”

You blinked at him — heart stuttering.

He stepped back from you, then lifted his hand. Magic shimmered like crushed moonlight around his fingers. With one slow motion, the ruins bloomed to life — glowing vines wrapping around pillars, flowers that hadn't blossomed in centuries opening in a swirl of glowing petals. The whole grove sighed, as if exhaling from a deep sleep.

“I’ve done many things,” Lilia said, stepping closer again, eyes shining. “I’ve lived through battles and lullabies. But I’ve never done this. Never wanted to. Not until you.”

He reached into the folds of his cloak and pulled out a delicate silver ring carved in the shape of intertwined bat wings and thorns, centered with a faintly glowing green stone that looked like a captured firefly.

Kneeling — he looked up at you, unguarded and eternal.

“You have made my immortality feel like a blessing again. Would you walk with me through what years I have left, and let me love you through each one? Will you marry me?”

The forest held its breath with you.

When you said yes, his smile was the softest thing you’d ever seen. He pulled you close — kissed you slowly — and whispered, “Then we’ll write a love story even time won’t forget.”

Sebek Zigvolt

For a long time, Sebek Zigvolt didn’t understand love. Not in the way he understood duty, or training, or the fierce loyalty he bore for Lord Malleus. Love was… unpredictable. Emotional. Disruptive.

But when he began to feel it — first in small ways, like watching you speak with others and getting irrationally flustered, or the way your touch lingered in his mind for days — he was angry at it. Frustrated.

And yet, you stayed. Through his yelling, his dramatics, his constant declarations of greatness on behalf of Malleus. You never teased him. You understood him.

One evening, after an exhausting mission outside Briar Valley, you found him standing guard alone under a stormy sky — soaked, grim, but stubborn as ever. You put your cloak around his shoulders and stood beside him in the rain.

He never forgot that moment.

It was when he realized: You are who I want to stand beside forever.

Sebek’s proposal took months of planning. Everything had to be worthy — of you, of his feelings, and of the future he wanted to protect. He asked Lilia for advice (and immediately regretted it after hearing “fake dragon attack for dramatic flair” — no thank you), trained twice as hard every morning, and spent evenings carving something in secret.

When the day came, he invited you to the castle gardens of Diasomnia at sunrise. The sky was still dark and quiet, a soft mist curling between hedges and dragon statues.

Sebek stood waiting at the center, in formal attire — the ceremonial armor of the Draconia Guard, silver and forest green, etched with runes that glowed faintly with magic. He turned when you arrived, eyes wide and serious, breath fogging in the cold air.

“I… I wanted to say this in the place where my heart was forged — under these towers, in these shadows, where I learned what it meant to serve.”

He stepped forward, taking your hands in his own — warm despite the chill.

“But then I met you. And I learned something greater than duty. I learned love. Fierce. Relentless. Protective. The kind I would fight for. Die for. Live for.”

From his belt, he drew a small box. Inside it was a ring made from polished emerald steel — hand-forged, slightly rough around the edges, but unmistakably beautiful. It bore his family crest inside and tiny runes around the band for strength, loyalty, and passion.

“I will not promise perfection. I am loud. I am difficult. But I swear to be yours with every heartbeat I have. To protect, to cherish, and to learn. Always.”

He dropped to one knee — knight-like, formal, trembling — and looked up at you as though you were the most sacred being in the world.

“Would you do me the extraordinary honor… of becoming my partner? My future? My heart?”

Your “yes” rang through the mist like sunlight.

When he stood, his composure nearly broke — eyes damp, mouth trembling — and when he kissed you, it was with the passion of someone who had finally learned what it meant to love freely.

And though he never said it aloud again in front of others — in private, every night after, he whispered: “Thank you for choosing me.”

[swappedandtrapped]

Swapping Research - Part 1

Starting to try and use AI for translations to English. I don't like it, but writing in English is exhausting.

Part 2 here Part 3 here

Marcus Chen gripped the bathroom sink, staring at his reflection in the fluorescent-lit mirror. "Trapezium, trapezoid, scaphoid, lunate, triquetrum, pisiform…" The naming of hand bones did little to slow his racing heart. Organic chemistry in thirty minutes. Dr. Zhang's infamous molecular mechanisms exam.

The bathroom door banged open. Tyler Reeves filled the doorframe, six-foot-three of basketball glory in team outfit, a crumpled paper in his hand.

"Thought I'd find you in here." Tyler's voice echoed against the tiles. "Pre-exam ritual?"

"I was trying to make sure I remember everything for the exam," Marcus said, straightening and adjusting his wire-rimmed glasses. "Some of us can't coast through life on jump shots."

Tyler's smile disappeared. He held out the paper: a formal notice from the university. "They said I'm on academic probation. One semester to get my GPA above a 2.0 or I lose my scholarship."

Marcus scanned the notice. "I told you to drop Evolutionary Biology. You needed to start with—"

"Not the point, Marcus." Tyler ran a hand through his too-long hair, his usual confidence replaced by a mild sense of desperation. "I need help. Not tutoring. Something… different."

"I have an exam in 30 minutes, and my med school interview next week. Whatever this is—"

"My cousin Alex," Tyler interrupted, lowering his voice as someone entered a bathroom stall behind them. "She's doing this neuroscience PhD thing. Consciousness… transfer. Temporarily."

Marcus stared at him. "You're describing science fiction."

"It's real. She's been mapping neural pathways, testing it on rats. They're… they're switching brains, Marcus. She needs human subjects." Tyler leaned closer, voice urgent. "Twenty-four hours. That's all. I just need to know what it feels like."

"What what feels like?"

"To have a brain that works right." The words tumbled out, raw and unfiltered. Tyler glanced around, then continued quieter: "I don't really like to talk about it. I'm dyslexic. Bad. Words swim around, flip backwards. Dad refused to get me tested.

Marcus remembered high school, Tyler recording lectures instead of taking notes, always asking to study together but never reading aloud. The pieces clicked into place.

"Tyler, I'm sorry, but consciousness transfer? It's just not possible."

"It's real. She's proven it. Just twenty-four hours in your body. To read and prepare without feeling like drowning, so I can maybe actually get something into this thick skull" Tyler's eyes held a desperation Marcus had never seen. "Please. I'm out of options."

Marcus thought of his carefully planned week, his interview preparation, his parents' expectations. "This is insane."

"One day. Then everything goes back to normal. I promise.

---

Alex Nguyen's "lab" was a repurposed storage room in the neuroscience department basement, filled with humming equipment that looked cobbled together from different decades. Monitors displayed brain scans in pulsing colors..

"The procedure is non-invasive," Alex explained, her undercut hairstyle severe under the fluorescent lighting. She adjusted electrodes on a strange helmet apparatus. "Consciousness mapping uses quantum entanglement principles to create a temporary neural signature exchange."

Marcus eyed the setup skeptically. "This can't possibly have IRB approval."

Alex's eyes flicked to Tyler, then back to Marcus. "We're in the theoretical testing phase."

"She means 'no,'" Tyler translated.

"The risks are minimal," Alex continued, typing rapidly on a keyboard. "Temporary disorientation, mild synesthesia, possible dream disturbances. The transfer nullifies and reverses naturally after approximately twenty-four hours."

"Has anyone done this before? Human subjects?" Marcus asked.

Alex's slight hesitation told him everything. "You'd be the first complete transfer. But the animal studies are promising. Rats with trained maze behaviors maintained those memories in their new bodies."

"This is crazy," Marcus muttered, but didn't leave. Something in Tyler's desperation had touched him. The vulnerability beneath the confident facade.

"Please. I wouldn't ask if there was another way." Tyler said quietly.

Marcus thought of their childhood: Tyler defending him from bullies in elementary school, the effortless way he navigated social situations that left Marcus paralyzed with anxiety. Maybe he owed him this.

"Twenty-four hours," Marcus said firmly. "Then we switch back, no matter what. I have that interview next week."

Alex gestured them toward two reclined chairs. "You'll be unconscious for approximately thirty minutes during the transfer. When you wake, you'll be in each other's bodies."

As Alex attached electrodes to his temples, Marcus felt panic rising. "Wait. How will we prove this actually worked? That it's not suggestion or—"

"Tell me something only you would know," Alex suggested. "Something you can repeat back afterward."

Marcus thought for a moment, then leaned over to Alex and whispered, "I secretly watch 'RuPaul' when I'm stressed."

Alex grinned. "The drag show? Seriously?"

"Don't judge. Tyler, it's your turn."

Tyler hesitated, then whispered something that made Alex's eyebrows rise.

"Didn't expect that," Alex said. "Ok, now that that's done, are you Ready?" Alex asked, hovering by the switch.

"No," Marcus admitted.

"Do it anyway," Tyler said.

The electricity began as a gentle hum at the base of Marcus's skull, spreading outward. Panic fluttered in his chest as the room blurred. His last thought was a desperate recitation—trapezium, trapezoid, scaphoid, lunate—before darkness pulled him under.

---

Marcues' consciousness returning felt like being yanked from deep water. He gasped, his body feeling impossibly wrong: longer limbs, different center of gravity, a dull ache in the right knee. His stomach heaved, and he barely managed to turn before vomiting on the floor.

"Easy," came Alex's voice. "Disorientation is normal."

Marcus looked up, vision swimming, and felt a primal horror unlike anything he'd experienced. Across the room, his own body was sitting up, looking at its hands with wonder. His face, but not his expressions, not his movements.

"Holy shit," his voice said from his body, Tyler's inflections all wrong in Marcus's mouth. "It worked. It actually worked."

Marcus tried to stand and staggered, unfamiliar muscles responding differently than expected. He reached up to adjust glasses that weren't there, fingers touching unfamiliar features. Tyler's features. His new nose, his soft lips, his beard scruff…

The violation went deeper than he'd imagined. Not just wearing someone else's skin, but inhabiting their flesh completely, feeling their physical pain, seeing through their eyes.

"Twenty-four hours," he managed to say, Tyler's voice emerging from his throat. "Not a minute more."

His own face looked back at him, wearing Tyler's crooked smile. It was real. Marcus wasn't in his own body anymore. And the raw, visceral wrongness of that fact threatened to drown him completely.

[thatgirlie-diaries]

Things I do to take care of myself

Inspired by @theambitiouswoman

Hello girlies! On this blog I'm going to write down all the habits I do to take care of my self. These ones I have been practicing them since a long time and I know they maintain me healthy, happy, balanced and stress free. I hope I can inspire you to discover the habits that make you feel your best and start doing some of the things I do!

My habits

Have a morning and night routine to follow

Sleep 8 hours on a consistent schedule

Eat at least one fruit a day, along three healthy meals and drink enough water

Pray when I wake up

Do yoga in the morning and meditate at night

Do my skincare 2 times daily (morning and night)

Have an "everything shower" 2x times per week

Listen to positive affirmations in the morning

Dress up pretty every time I'm going out

Listen a podcast daily

Read one chapter of a book daily

Dedicate one hour for introspective journaling and healing yoga + meditation 2xtimes per week

Use less than 4 hours my phone (15 minutes max on every social media app)

Unfollow any account that doesn't make me feel good with myself or consume content that doesn't inspire me

Study a language 30 minutes - 1 hour 3x times per week

Spend time with my loved ones during the week

Write down a journal entry before sleep

Be productive and focus on my tasks to be free the more time possible

Make a daily to-do list

Maintain my personal space clean

Take my daily supplements after breakfast

Look from time to time my vision boards

Dedicate time to prepare my meals and make lunch for university (instead of spending)

Keep track of my financial movementes

Focus on living in the present and be carefree about life

Smile, be kind and maintain the calm with people

On my free time do things I love ( like blogging, gaming, watch YT, etc)

Be mindful of all the sensorial stimulation (use less screens and earphones)

Respect when my body needs to rest

Have a optimistic mindset that works in my favor

Play with and take care of my pets (my happy pills)

Have a "Sunday reset" routine dedicated to deep cleaning, laundry, weekly review and planning, self-care, etc

See you on the next blog! 𑄽𑄺ྀ

[beegalactica]

hot girl tips to be more productive

With a million things to do, where do we find the time? Sometimes it can be so easy to just procrastinate, not do your work and keep pushing it back till it's too late. Let's not do that anymore.

5-minute rule - start small. If you've been putting something off for a long time, trying to commit 1 hour to it can be challenging. You can't do a marathon without a warm-up first! Could you set a timer for 5 minutes to do that task? After 5 minutes if you want to continue, go for it; if you don't, that's okay, because at least you've done 5 minutes today, which is better than 0. Tomorrow or later in the day, try to challenge yourself to do 7 minutes this time, then 10, then 15, and you will get into that rhythm.

Eliminate distractions - it's all because of that damn phone 🙄 but seriously, tech and social media can have such a tight grip over our productivity and our attention. If you cannot control your usage, set app timers that lock the app after you use it for a certain amount of time or delete the app. I've been using a minimalist phone launcher called 'OLauncher' that removes all my icons and makes me manually have to type and search for the app. In the time it takes me to search for the app, I get to ask myself, "What am I looking for? Do I need to use it for something specific or do I just want to scroll?"

Schedule properly - note down all your commitments and non-negotiables in an app like Google Calendar and make sure all your big events are displayed there. Some people can fall into the habit of planning every second of their day, but I instead delegate a few tasks to each day and give myself any time within the day to complete them, the important thing being not when I do them, but that I do them in the end.

Write to-do lists - now this doesn't just mean in-app lists, which are very useful. Physically write them out. I use a scrap piece of paper and I write: "Today I WILL..." and then list all the things I want to get done. Having it written down helps me commit to it more and the feeling of ticking it is so satisfying.

Know your WHY - Why are you doing this? Why do you want to be more productive? Why do you want to study more? Always look at the bigger picture. Where do you want to be and how will your productivity help you get there?

Celebrate your wins - whether you completed all the things on your to-do list or just one, be proud of it. Some days, you will feel super motivated and fly through all your tasks, and other days you just want to stay in bed and do nothing. Making an effort is the first step to your success.

No matter whether your goal is to complete a project, get good grades, get into the school of your dreams, or just get your work out of the way so you can focus on other things, tackle it little by little. Just 20 minutes every day for a week is better than trying to do 140 minutes worth of work on the last day.

[rose-tries-to-write]

Humans are Space Orcs Idea

Okay so hiii, i had an idea so i kinda ran with it.

This was inspired by me eating an orange and thinking 'man, i wonder if aliens would find it weird watching me pull off all the strings like this' and it kinda ran from there. this might have a few parts later on if i get inspired, but mostly whatever is made here will be odd human behaviors that i think would be funny/interesting from an aliens perspective.

Writing under the cut!

Day 1 in alien captivity

I'll be honest, I've been here much longer than a day—perhaps four or more by now. This is the first time I've been given something resembling paper and writing tools, so to make it easier to remember, this will be labelled day one.

I couldn't tell you why I'm here or how I got to where I am. Most of it's a blur by now and even if it wasn't, I'd rather forget anyway. I won't bore you with that.

The aliens I'm with now are tall creatures largely covered in fur except for the horns protruding from their heads. Of the few I've seen its safe to assume that these horns come in many different variations—one having a pair similar to a goat and another having ones reminiscent of the classic devil horns. (There are two portrait drawings beside this passage, one of a fluffy creature with goat horns and another a slick-furred creature with devil horns. They both have smiley faces.)

Whatever these aliens are, they seem very interested in what I am. Studying what I am, that is. They treat me like an animal, trying to replicate a natural environment within a small cell and giving me food and objects that I assume are for entertainment purposes. I can see them in a window at the top of the cell, watching and writing and talking amongst themselves as I go about my day. Researchers, I assume. Scientists.

I don't know what their plans are and they seem largely uninterested in hurting me or even coming close. For now, I'll just continue what I've been trying to do from the start—make them realize I'm not an animal but a fully cognizant person who would really like to go home soon.

Day 2 in alien captivity

They keep giving me these fruits that I've taken to calling oranges due to their resemblance to the fruit. It has a peel, purple and sectioned similar to a pumpkin, that's thick but easy to pierce. It comes off in the previously mentioned sections like a banana and leaves strings behind like an orange.

This is where the name comes from—the gross and annoying strings all over the flesh of the fruit. It takes half an hour to get them off due to the size of the thing, but eating it with them on isn't an option. Taste aside, they make me nauseous. Best to avoid that.

The aliens seem amused at me painstakingly removing all the strings, like they think it's a silly behavior of an animal rather than a necessary evil. I can see them writing something down and chattering between themselves every time I do it where they can see. A voice inside me wonders if they find my methods odd—the piercing and removal of the outer peel, the long process of de-stringing the flesh, then pulling apart the sections to eat them one by one. The voice wonders if they see intelligence in those actions. If using my fingers skillfully to remove the inedible materials says I'm more than just the animal they think I am.

I've learned to ignore that voice.

The flesh of the fruit is orange, ironically, but more of a burning red shade than the brighter color of its namesake. It tastes oddly like an apple, sweet and acidic, with the texture of a grape. I can't decide if I hate it. I can't decide if I should. For now, it's food and as long as they're willing to feed me like this for free, I'm happy to eat.

[justagirlwholikesadam]

This Feeling Will Pass

Severus Snape x Fem! Reader

Summary: About to go on a date with Remus turns into disaster but you find comfort in someone else.

Warning: Remus makes a mistake, kisses, self-doubts, muggle literature, Lily tries her best, reader cries a lot, prank.

A/n: This had been fermenting in my google docs, decided to finish it once and for all. Hope you like it! -L

Word Count: 6.4K

You had feelings for him before Lily introduced you to him. You saw Remus around in the library before, it was his favorite place, he told you. You liked him because he was kind hearted and a gentleman. Opening doors for you, reaching the book for you on the top shelves. Bringing your chair out for you to sit. Studying with him was mostly the only time both of you spent with each other. Some days were quiet while other days the study session of 1 hour became 5 hours. Lily or James would come and find you guys still talking. Lily joked with you when walking back to the girls dormitory. 

“I never seen Remus look like that before.” 

“What do you mean?” You asked Lily. 

“He looks at you with so much love.” Her response makes you laugh in disbelief. 

You remember that day, Lily had frowned and told you she knew Remus likes you back but he never gave you any hints that he might have feelings for you. You know that was for a fact when he started to date some girl from House Hufflepuff. You honestly thought it was your last day on earth, he came walking hand to hand with the girl in the great hall. You ignored the look on Lily’s face, you felt like you couldn’t breathe when he introduced her to you. The Hufflepuff didn’t last long and so didn’t the second girl in House Ravenclaw. By then you were better at hiding your feelings for Remus from Lily. 

Anthony Setman from Ravenclaw had asked you on a date in your 5th year. Cute, dark haired Anthony had asked you during breakfast just a week before students were allowed to go to Hogsmeade. Lily told you that Remus stared draggers at him when asking you out. You ignored Lily when she brought him up. You didn’t want to think of Remus of a time like this. Someone had asked you out, a boy who likes you. 

Remus was waiting for you in the common room when you came back from the date. You never saw Remus so nervous, he had grabbed your hand and pulled you to sit on the couch facing the fireplace. His eyes narrowed when he asked you about your date. You told him the truth, cute and dark haired Anthony was a bit of a let down. He spent the entire time talking about quidditch.

‘What a twat.’ Remus told you, making you agree.

“Yeah, he was but at least I got a free butterbeer.” You told Remus not noticing he got closer to you.

“I feel like an idiot for not saying it sooner, love. Seeing you with him.” Remus then confessed to you how he liked you. He was too nervous and decided to not do anything in fear of ruining his friendship with you. 

“I don’t want to lose you.” Remus said. 

“You won’t.” You told him before kissing his cheek. 

You had James and Sirius to thank for, they were the ones who spoke to Remus about admitting his feelings to you. They had enough when all of Remus’ relationships ended because of you. You were the reason, the girls were jealous of you. They would ask Remus how come he doesn’t look at them the way he looked at you. You believed it truly at first. You believed James, Sirius and Lily. Remus had told you that next week it would be a date. He had planned it all out, he said as the days passed. On the day of the date, Lily and the girls helped you get dressed and did your makeup. You waited in the common room for him. You waited and waited until you saw James and Sirius along with Peter walking in laughing as they held a book from Zonko's Joke Shop.

“Oi! You look gorgeous.” Sirius said with a smile when he saw you sitting. 

“The date went well?!” James asked, then looked around. 

“Where’s Moony?” Your face fell, they didn’t know where Remus was. You told them and their smile disappeared. 

Using the map, your heart fell when you saw Remus in the library with no other than Shelley Mumps. You quickly ran out of the common room. Remus was probably studying with her. Giving notes or tutoring the blonde Gryffindor, Sirius was hot on your trial. James looked nervous. It was the first time you saw him look like that. Cool and confident Sirius Black was looking under the weather when he tried to block the door of the library and you knew something was up. Peter was long gone, he ran away when he got a harsh look from Sirius and James when he told you to use the map to locate Remus. 

Pushing Sirius out of the way, you walked inside, looking at the tables. The library was empty since Hogsmeade was open, you walked to the back. Finding the usual table Remus and you study on, you come to a halt when you see him. James calls your name when he walks from behind. His eyes widen to find his friend sitting on a chair with Shelley sitting on Remus’ lap while kissing him. A curse from Sirius drew them apart and Remus saw you staring at him with tears. 

“Wai-Sto-It’s no-.” Remus shouts were ignored as you ran away. 

Remus knew he was a horrible person. Having a crush on you and Shelley especially when he asked you on a date. He was confused, James and Sirius told him to make up his mind about it. He had a crush on the blonde since he first came to Hogwarts. Shelley who only talked to him when she needed the answers to the Charms homework. Shelley would wink at him when she needed to pass him to reach Sirius who barely gave her the time of day because he was looking at Marlene Price. As the date was coming closer, Remus chose you. He decided Shelley wouldn’t even give him the time of day. Unlike you, Remus liked how you spoke to him. You asked him about his day and how his classes went. You didn’t mind the scars on his face at all, you had even gone far to apply sunscreen on his face when the weather was hot. 

Lily hinted at him about your feelings for him and he was happy about it, ecstatic because a girl like you liked him but deep inside he couldn't believe it. Self doubt leaked into his mind. He got an earful from Lily after he introduced the Hufflepuff. She didn’t understand. 

‘Someone like her doesn’t need someone like me. Look at me, Lily. How can she really like me with this face? Someone poor?” 

“You’re so thick sometimes.” Lily told him before slamming the door behind her. 

His relationship didn’t last very long, none of them were like you. He wasn’t interested in them like he was with you. He would come to you when he got excited about something, showing you the newest book in the library. Buying you Hogsmeade sweet when he should be buying it for his girlfriend. The last girl called it quits when she found Remus staring at you when walking into class. You came walking side by side with Mary laughing with her as both of you sat down. Remus smiled at you when you waved at him. 

He felt the green monster of jealousy form in the pit of his stomach when saw Anthony walking towards you. The quidditch player gave you a big smile and greeted you. Remus saw your cheeks blush when Anthony complimented your hair. He bit the inside of his cheek when you accepted Anthony’s invitation to go to Hogsmeade. He decided to wait for you to tell you he likes you. Then he wanted to take you on a date after learning about the failed one with Anthony. Sweet kisses were shared between the both of you. Remus walked with you to your classes the next morning. James, Sirius and Peter teased him about it but he didn’t mind. Seeing your smile was everything to him. 

A few hours before the date, he decided to catch up on some homework so he would have more time with you. Finishing his essay, he was surprised when he saw Shelley in the library. She walked towards him and asked him the most obvious question: what was he doing? He looked down at the open books in front of him then looked up at her. He was doing homework. Shelley was getting too close and it didn’t set well with him. He blushed when she openly told him how attractive she thought he was. He grew even more red when she sat on his lap, her arm wrapped around his shoulders. She pulled on his tie and told him to relax. 

“I need to go-.” She shook her head. “Go where, silly?” 

“Have you thought about kissing me, Remus?” Shelley asked him as she leaned close to his face. 

“I think about it.” She tells him. Remus couldn’t believe Shelley Mumps was sitting on his lap telling him how she thought about kissing him. She had the top buttons of her shirt undone and her tie was nowhere to be found. 

“Can I kiss you?” She asked him, running her fingers through his hair. Remus just nods. They continued on with their kisses and he lost track of time, he gets excited and mistakenly mumbles your name against Shelley’s lips. She doesn’t even hear it, too busy looking behind him at the group of people who covered their mouths, trying to keep their laughter at bay. 

Remus hears footsteps and Sirius’ voice, he pulls away and sees you. The look of betrayal on your face makes him come back to reality and dread seeps inside of him, filling him up. James and Sirius give him a look as he pushes Shelley off his lap. 

“I don’t understand, mate. I thought you liked her? You picked her!” Sirius asked him after they went back to their rooms. James and Peter look over at Remus who covers his face as he sits on the edge of his bed. 

“I know. I like her.” Remus said. 

“Then why you fucking kissed SHELLEY?!” James snaps at him. 

You ran and ran until you couldn’t breathe anymore. Tears ran down your face as you kept seeing Shelley on Remus, she was making out with him. Her arms around him, his hands on her hips. He ditched you to kiss Shelley. You felt like an idiot for believing your friends, Remus didn’t like you at all. 

You ran into the Forbidden Forest and held yourself against a tree. You dropped down on your knees as you began to cough. Not realizing someone was walking towards you. You were crying as they got closer to you. You couldn’t hear them from the sobbing. Wallowing in your pain, you jumped up when you felt someone touch your shoulder. Looking over your shoulder you saw Severus Snape. He stood up straight and asked if you were alright. You knitted your brows in confusion by his question. 

Severus Snape never spoke to you before, being from a different house. You didn’t have a need to speak with him. He was in some of your classes but stayed in the back. You sniffed and he handed you a handkerchief from his pocket. 

“Thanks.” You said softly, grabbing it from his grasp. He gives you a nod before looking away from you. You noticed the large leather book in his other hand. Lily told you a bit about her ex friend, Severus. Told you how he was the one to tell her she was a witch. She loved him like a brother, she was his only friend. Since she was sorted into a different house, it made it more difficult to still speak with him, especially when James started to bully him. The bullying grew to the point where he lashed at her calling her a mudblood. She told you she didn’t hold any bad blood against him, but she just simply didn’t want anything to do with him after that. 

“I’m sorry if I bothered you.” You told him. Severus frowned at your apology, he wondered why you were sorry. 

“You didn’t.” He said watching you wipe your tears. Your mascara was smudged under your eyes, he wanted to laugh at the sight of you. He was reading when he heard you. You had completely passed him, he was sitting against a tree when he saw you. He started using the Forbidden Forest as his hangout. No one came here, he was never disturbed until now. 

Severus knew who you were. Seen you around and during class. You walked with Lily most of the time, you were always with Remus. He never saw you cry before, you were always smiling and brightened the room with it. He didn’t like how the fat tears were rolling down your pretty face. That’s why he followed you, followed you until you slumped against a tree. You were wearing muggle clothes and he saw how your hair was changed up. You were planning on going somewhere, probably to Hogsmeade. He heard about Anthony asking you. He rolled his eyes at the meathead who was speaking loudly about asking you out. Last thing he heard was Anthony getting annoyed when you rejected him for a second date. He called you a tease for not even kissing him on the first date. 

Severus wondered if Anthony had said something to you. The grasp on his book tightened at the thought of it. 

‘Fucking asshole.’ Severus curses to himself. 

“Was it Anthony?” He asked you, his dark brows rose up when you shook your head. 

“It -.” You let out a deep breath and shook your head once more. 

“I’m sorry, Severus. I don’t want to bother you with my problems.” You said pushing yourself up. You were about to give him back his handkerchief when you stopped yourself from giving it to him. Severus wouldn’t want a handkerchief covered with snot and tears. 

“Don’t be sorry.” Severus said, you were the first person to apologize to him and the first to do it for a second time. 

“Did he hurt you?” He asked. You shook your head, “It’s dumb.” 

“If it’s dumb you wouldn’t be crying.” He said. When you don't respond, he gives you a nod. He wasn’t surprised, why would you tell him your problems? This is the first time both of you are speaking to each other. He knew since you're friends with Lily, you wouldn’t want anything to do with him. 

Severus walks back to his spot a few feet away. He makes himself comfortable and opens his book. He hears footsteps coming closer to him after a few minutes. 

“Are you usually here at this time?” You asked him and he looks up from his book.

“Everyday.” He answers sharply. “Can I join you tomorrow, please?” 

He wants to say no because this is his spot. His spot to be away from everyone. A spot where he isn’t bullied or made fun of because of his features. But you had asked him so nicely, you spoke to him like a person. He can’t recall the last time someone said please to him. 

“Sure.” He said, he looked away from you when you smiled at him. He doesn’t understand why his stomach flips at the sight of you smiling at him. 

“Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye.” He doesn't say anything back to you but he watches you leave. He doesn’t look away until you disappear from his sight. 

He doesn’t think you would show up after dinner the next day. He’s already sitting down and halfway through his book when he hears you. You greet him and he brings the book down from his face. He can tell you were crying, you had a smaller book in your hand. 

He nods at your welcome and watches you sit across from him, leaning against the other tree. You give him a smile before opening your book. Severus can’t concentrate; he's been reading the same sentence three times now. With the book in front of his face, he peeks over at you. You are in uniform, you had a leg over the other as you read your book. Severus has never seen it before, he thinks it might be a muggle book. 

The books he reads are only in the library. He never had enough money for books back home. His father had told him it’s a waste of money. The title caught his interest. 

Sense and Sensibility

“What book is that?” He asked you after a few minutes of silence. Your eyes came up and you gave him a small smile. You can see Severus’ face light up as you tell him about the author and the genre. He didn’t even notice you getting up and walking towards him handing him the book. Severus grabbed it with caution as he looked at the cover and flips the pages. 

“You don’t read muggle books?” You asked him. He shook his head, his long locks of hair is covering his face. 

“A muggle book in House Slytherin is a no go.” Severus told you. He knew Mulciber would tease him until no end if he ever saw these types of books on him. 

“You can borrow it, read it here and I’ll take it back. Tomorrow I’ll bring it again in case you don’t finish.” Severus thinks about it for a minute, his eyes look up from the book at you. 

“Why?” He asked and it caught you off guard. What does he mean by that? 

“Not su-“ “Why are you being so nice to me?” He questioned. 

“You’re Lily’s friend. You should hate me. You should bully me like those idiots Black and Potter.” You shook your head at him. 

“I don’t want to bully you and I am her friend but she never once told me to stay away from you. She also doesn’t have a saying who I can be friends with.” Severus’ dark eyes stared at you, looking for any glimmer in your eyes saying that you were lying but he found none. You were being sincere. He realize you said friends. Since when did you become friends with him? He asks himself. 

“What about Lupin? What happened to him? He usually follows you everywhere. Always staring at you when you aren’t looking.” You look down at the ground. 

When you didn’t respond Severus sighs before shutting your book. “Look, I’m not going to stay here. Whatever is going on, I’m not looking for those imbeciles to come looking for you and find me. I had enough of those idiots.” 

Severus was about to stand up when he saw you were crying. He rolled his eyes and immediately felt bad. He wasn’t trying to hurt your feelings, he didn’t want to be bullied again for being near you. Severus wasn’t stupid, he knew Lupin liked you. Severus was surprised when word got around that Remus was dating some other girl. 

Severus watched as you grabbed his handkerchief for your pocket to wipe your tears. You kept it. He thinks to himself. He was sure you would have thrown it out by now since it came from him. Severus calls out your name softly.

“Tell me? What happened?” 

Severus frowned heavily while you told him about it. His lips became a thin line as you spoke about Remus and Shelley. 

“Sirius was nice enough to tell me what happened. He found me crying in the hallway. He said it wasn’t right what Remus did. Called him an idiot. Remus had a crush on Shelley for the longest. He started to like me too. James and Sirius told him to pick one and they thought he picked me but at the end Remus picked her. He was making out with her in the library.” 

“I’m so stupid. I actually believe that he liked me. How can I ever compare myself to her?” Severus shakes his head. 

“Don’t compare yourself to her, believe me. That airhead doesn’t know the difference between left and right.” You look over at Severus. “Had her as a partner in potion. She is so irritating and lazy.” 

After a while Severus looks over at you and tucks his hair behind his ear. “You’re so much better than her.” 

“Thank you, Severus.” You said, Severus tensed up when you walked next to him. Sitting down on the ground and patting the ground next to you. He sat down. 

“We can read it together. If we aren’t done, I’ll bring it tomorrow.” Severus sits down beside you and opens the book. 

“Maybe you can read it out loud.” Severus doesn’t answer you, he goes to the front page and clears his throat before beginning to read out loud. 

Your eyes lifted from the page onto Severus’ fingers. They were long and thin, the book looked so small in his hands. You can see a few light scars on his knuckles and fingers. You knew it had to be from all of the potion making. Severus was well known for it, spending hours in the potion room in the dungeon. His skin was so fair, he was in dire need of suntan. You remember Lily told you that Severus never really goes out. You tried your hardest to remember everything she told you about him. Looking at his head, his hair covered his face, the tip of his nose peeked out and you desperately wanted to see his face up close. As you think about it now you don’t think you ever saw Severus’ face, his hair always covered his face and he always looked down at the ground when walking. Plus he was so tall, some people had to look up just to see his face. 

You looked at the book, when he flipped the page. Clearing his throat once more, he read out loud again and you were hypnotized by his voice. The tone of his voice was deeper and he said every syllable in every word with such smooth. You didn’t think it was possible but his voice put you at ease and for the first time in those two days you stop thinking about Remus Lupin.

Meeting with Severus in the forest became a daily thing. After dinner, you will walk to the forest after rejecting Lily's plea to come and sit beside her with James. You didn’t want to see them yet. You didn’t want to see Remus, who was obviously waiting for you to come and sit down so he could speak to you.

“I have homework, Lils.” You kept giving her the same answer that you had homework and left the dinner table quickly. Going to meet Severus to read was the highlight of your day. He didn’t treat you any different like the rest. He didn’t even ask you about it. He always waited for you to say something about it first. He never pushed you for any answers.

A week has passed and your daily visit with Severus was still happening. You had avoided Remus for the most part. On Saturday you didn’t see him and was thanking Merlin, you can have breakfast in peace. You sat down eating your breakfast when Lily came rushing it. 

She came running to you, sitting down next to you. 

“You won't believe what happened with Shelley and Remus?!” You gave her a look of displeasure. 

You don’t even want to know. 

“That bitch and a group of Ravenclaw placed a bet on her to kiss Remus. She was laughing about it in the common room.” You felt your stomach turned inside out. 

“Remus?” Lily took a deep breath before telling you that he was there, listening with James and Sirius. He ran up to his room and refused to leave. 

“That’s terrible, Lily.” You said before turning back to continue eating. 

“Don't you get it?” Lily asked, pulling your arm to face her again. 

“That kiss meant nothing. Remus likes you and he misses you.” Lily stopped talking when she saw your face of disbelief. 

“Remus doesn’t like me, Lily. Even if Shelley did kiss him for a bet he said yes, he kissed her back, and I know because I had to watch them make out. They were making out while I was waiting for him to go on our date. A date that he missed because he was making out with her.” 

“ I want nothing to do with him.” Lily remained quiet but still sat beside you. 

“I’m sorry.” She apologized to you. “I just wanted both of my best friends to get together.” 

“I know.” You told her as you handed her a piece of toast. 

Severus listened to you as you told him about what Lily had said. He watched you pace around as he sat down on the ground.  He looked so angry when Lily told you to get Remus back. His eyes widened when you told him that you refused too. Remus had made his choice and so have you. As much as you liked him, you had respect for yourself, you would not go back to him. As much as you wanted to kiss him and be his girlfriend you couldn’t because all you can see him ditching you for her. 

“I’m glad. Truly am. You deserve better.” Severus told you when you sat beside him to continue reading. 

“You know Severus, I know I’m always telling you about my problems, but you know you can tell me about yours. I don’t mind, it’s the least I can do for you having to listen to me rant on and on about Remus.” Severus was touched by your words. 

You were always there to remind him that he wasn’t alone. He hasn’t felt this alone this week since you started meeting him in the forest. It was nice to have someone next to him. It was nice to feel your warmth near him. It was nice to share a common interest with someone. 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He told you, making you smile as you looked down at the book. Both of you finished the book on the second day, Severus and you were unaware of the time as both of you spoke about the book. He liked the character Colonel Brandon from the start. 

“I'm glad he got his happy ending.” Severus said softly looking down at the cover of the book. 

“Yeah, after everything he did. He deserved to have it.” You agreed with Severus. 

“Do you think happy endings happen in real life?” Severus asked without a single thought and you raised a brow at him. His eyes remained on the cover of the book. 

“Absolutely.” Severus looks over at you and you see his face up close for the first time. You were surprised by it. James and Sirius had told you Severus was ugly with a big hook nose. His pale face was unblemished and his thin lips were a pale pink. His dark lashes surrounded his dark eyes. His nose was large but it made his face unique. As you leaned closer to him, he smelled like smokes of potion and cigarettes. You didn't know he smoked. 

“If you say so then I believe it.” Severus said, looking towards you. 

“If you like this then next should be Jane Eyre.” Severus looks away. “You still want to hang out with me?” 

You nod at him. “Of course. I like it. To be honest, I feel more relaxed when I’m with you, just sitting here and reading.” 

“Me too.” Severus said. Days passed and you met up with Severus after dinner. Sometimes you would bring your homework and do it while he read out loud. You told him he should do voice acting and Severus just shakes his head. 

“You’re the only person who likes this voice.” He told you looking up from the book. You sat cross-legged with a book in your lap. His eyes darted away when he saw your bare knees, the skirt rose up to your thigh showing your skin. 

The next day Severus brought a blanket with him. You smiled at him as he placed it on the ground, telling you so you won’t have dirt and grass stained on your skirt. The next day he was waiting for you on the blanket when you brought a small basket with you. 

“So you don’t get thirsty when reading.” You told him while taking out a bottle of water from the basket.

During the day Severus was surprised when you greeted him in the hallways, he honestly thought you would pretend that you didn’t know him. Avery was shocked when you waved your hand at him and Severus did the same as you passed by him. Severus had his so-called friends on him the entire day, asking him if he knew you. He didn’t say a word, he wasn’t going to let them ruin the only good thing he had going on. 

Severus didn’t want to ruin what he had with you. Reading after dinner was the best part of his day, he noticed how Remus would try to talk to you. Lily being with James, she wanted to talk to you but you always seemed to be with Mary and another girl. When he finished Jane Eyre, you told him about getting another book. He was finishing up dinner when he didn’t notice you walking towards him. 

“Hey!” Severus looks up to see you standing in front of him. You grab your bag from your shoulder and he’s so busy looking at you that he doesn’t notice James and Sirius staring at him. Remus just stares in disbelief. 

“I have The Great Gatsby and Frankenstein!” You bring the books up to his face and there’s a smile that appears on his pale face. 

He excitedly takes them from your grasp and looks down at the cover. Remus tries to ignore the smile you give Severus as he picks one of them. 

“I have seen a glimpse of a cartoon about this.” Severus says, showing you the Frankenstein book. 

“On your TV?” You asked and he shakes his head. 

“In my neighborhood, the tv shop mostly.” You nod at him and can’t help wondering if he ever watches tv. You believe he should since he's half blood. You wanted to ask more about him. 

“I was thinking maybe we can walk together to the forest.” Severus nods and grabs his own bag walking next to you. 

“What the fuck is going on?” James asked the table as they watched you walking side by side with Severus out of the great hall. 

“Have you spoken to her?” Lily asked Remus. He shakes his head looking down at his plate. 

====

"I wanted to show you something. I found it when I was looking for ingredients.” Severus said as you guys walked to the normal spot a few feet deep into the forest. 

“Really?” Severus smiles at you as he keeps walking into the forest. 

“Aren't there like flesh-eating monsters?” Severus laughs loudly at your question. 

“Monsters yes, but not flesh-eating monsters.” You come to a halt and Severus turns around. 

“There are spiders!” Your mouth dropped and he laughed before walking closer to you. 

“Don't worry. You’ll be safe.” You look at him only for Severus to look away from you. His pale cheeks flared up in pink whenever you looked at him straight in the eyes. You did it so often, he still hasn't gotten used to it. 

“Okay.” You said, grabbing a hold of his hand. Severus tensed up but didn't pull away. He starts walking, pulling you with him. A few minutes walking further in, Severus took you to a cave. Your ears perked up when you heard a waterfall. Looking at Severus with wide eyes, he nods at you. 

“Is that even possible? A waterfall in the middle of a forest.” Severus smiles at your reaction. 

“Come in.” He pulls you inside, he pulls you down to crawl into a tunnel. The sound of the water grew louder. 

“Careful.” The only source of light was up high, the light showed the 10 feet waterfall. Severus pulls his wand out and without a word, he waves it in front of him. Your eyes widen as the candles around the cave lit one by one. 

“Sev! This is amazing!” Severus watches as you walked closer to the waterfall. Looking down, you noticed the dirt was becoming sand when getting closer to the water. 

“This is impossible!” You told him as you dropped your bag on the ground and walked closer to him. 

“How can this be?” Severus shrugs his lean shoulders at your question.

 “Magic.” He said, making you chuckle as you walked back to the water. He saw how you removed your shoes and socks, dipping your toes in the water. 

“Should be alright to swim in it, right?” You asked him, looking over your shoulder at him. 

===

Remus sat up from the couch when he heard the door open of the common room. His eyes widen at the sight of you. Your hair was damp, you carried your bag and sweater over your arm. 

“Hey.” Remus said standing up from his seat. He couldn't help but feel down when he saw the smile on your face disappear when you saw him. 

“Hi.” You answered him. “Where have you been?” He asked. 

“Out.” Remus nods before sighing. “I’m sorry. I know you must hate me. I just want you to know how truly sorry I am.” 

“Are you sorry because you found out it was a bet?” You asked him and Remus frowns. 

“No! She was on me and grinding on me. She was on top of me and she asked me if I wanted to kiss her while her arms were on me.” Remus began to rant as he got closer to you. 

“Remus.” You called his name and shook your head. “I’m sorry for ignoring you.” Remus felt hope in his chest. 

“We were never together. I shouldn’t have gotten mad because we were nothing.” Remus frowns at you and shakes his head. 

“It was something to me. You meant something to me.” He shouts your name. Tears well up in your eyes and you sighed. 

"If it meant something then why did you say yes to kiss her.” 

“It was a mistake.” Remus exclaimed. “I forgive you.” He smiles at your response. 

“Let me take you out on a date. A date you deserve.” Remus said holding your hands but you shook your head. 

“No. I don’t want to date you.” His hands drop down. 

He looks at you with a sigh. “Because of him right?” 

You look at him with a curious look. “Severus. The guys don’t know but I know. I didn’t know where you were going after dinner. I saw you on the map with him disappearing in the forbidden forest.” 

“Who else knows?” You asked him and Remus answers you with no one. 

“Do you like him?” His question made you freeze as you remembered Severus' lips on you. 

You had begged him to join you in the water. You have gotten far to turn around so he can get undressed. When you turned around, he stood behind you shirtless. The sound of him whining when you pushed yourself against him filled your entire body. Your ears rang with the sound of your name coming out of his mouth when you cupped his face with your hands. 

Remus bites the inside of his cheek when you nod at him. His eyes fill up with tears, at the look on your face. 

“Does he treat you well at least?” Remus asked, if you didn’t want to be with him. He hoped the other person treated you better. 

“Because if he doesn't, I can treat you well. I swear, Y/n just give me one more chance. This feeling I have of you hasn't changed.” Remus is breathing heavily.  

“Whatever feelings you have of me will pass, Remus. That feeling will pass.” 

“What if it doesn’t?” Remus asks softly. “I have a hard time believing that. Who wouldn't want sweet and cute Lupin.” 

Remus chuckles but his eyes are filled with remorse. “It took a prank to finally help me figure out who I wanted and in the end I lost you.” 

“I’m sorry about the prank. It was cruel.” Remus shakes his head and tells you not to worry. James, Lily, Sirius and Peter got Shelley at the end and turned her hair into a troll hair for a month. 

===

Lily was surprised when she saw Severus waiting outside of her class. He looked nervous and he called out her name. Her friends glared at him but she dismissed them, asking them to go on without her. 

“Hey Severus.” Lily said as she walked in front of him. 

“Hi.” Severus said back, tucking his hands in the pockets of his pants. 

“I wanted to ask you something.” Lily frowned, She hasn’t spoken to him in a year and all of sudden he wanted to talk to her. 

“I know you hate me for what I did.” Lily was about to shake her head and tell him to leave her alone but he raised his hand when she was about to speak. 

“I hate myself for what I did. I can’t take it back but I am sorry. I wanted to know if it’s okay with you-.” Lily’s eyes widened when Severus asked to ask you out on a date. 

“I’m only asking because if she said no I don’t want you to make fun of her or get mad at her. I have fallen for her, Lily.” Severus flinched when Lily hugged him. So shocked that he didn’t even hug her back. 

“Are you serious?! Are you telling me the truth?” Severus nods at her. 

“Severus, ask her. If you like her, do it!” 

“You won’t get mad. I don’t want you to think I’m stealing your friend.” Lily shakes her head quickly. 

“Of course not!” Lily pulled Severus to an empty classroom demanding how this happened. Severus kept his eyes on his lap, playing with his fingers as he told her how he saw you crying. Lily noticed a smile on Severus’ lips when he told her when he realized his feelings for you. His dark eyes sparkled the same way Remus’ eyes did whenever he spoke about you. 

[yeostars]

hii :)) I saw your post about ateez with an older s/o, and I was wondering if you were willing to do one about ateez with a younger s/o (not too much just like 1-2 years)

you don’t have to if you’re uncomfortable or if you just don’t want to though, I was just curious about this kind of dynamic

𓆩♡𓆪 dynamics study: ateez members dating someone younger than them / having a younger s/o <3

𓆩♡𓆪 hongjoong, yunho

• would be protective over you 100%. They are originally the kind of people who get jealous naturally, even if they can't help it. Might be slightly more possessive and protective over you than usual and you freaking love it. Would give you head pats every single time they find you endearing or adorable. Would warn you to be extra careful if you're driving late at night/ walking alone at night, going to the lengths of texting you and checking in with you every ten minutes to make sure you're safe and coming home soon. Would give you loooots of forehead kisses <3 would sincerely teach you about new things & hobbies if you ever mention about getting interested in them.

• always your no.1 supporter, no matter what. Whether you've accomplished a small achievement or a big one, they would never fail to show you how proud they are of you, would show off about your smallest achievements to their friends and family members, always leaving you slightly embarrassed but they assure you that you deserve to be appreciated about every single thing you do ><

• they're always the one taking initiatives- whether it's planning a date or helping you take the random-est of decisions, they're somehow always taking the lead. Them being older than you naturally leads them to be the ones taking the lead. Most importantly, they always make sure your needs and preferences are ahead of theirs. Basically they don't mind sacrificing something they like if it means putting ahead something you would love- all of that just to see that cute smile on your face. Would let you win in small and playful arguments, just to see that happy sparkle in your eyes upon winning.

𓆩♡𓆪 seonghwa, san

• they always, ALWAYS make sure you're comfortable. in literally any situation - could be when you're having a movie night at home, they arrange the pillows & blankets just right so that you're always cozy. they even go to the extent of you leaning against their shoulder for HOURS, using their arm as your pillow, even if it means that their shoulder is going to be SORE the next day- they don't care as long as you're sleeping peacefully.

• would LOVE stroking your smooth, soft hair. it's literally their favourite thing to do, and just like yunho and joong, they'd also give you lots of head pats because they're always endeared by whatever you do. They're always gentle with you, would treat you like you're a delicate doll for real. Especially because of you being younger than them, although there's barely 1-2 years age difference between the both of you, taking utmost care of you would be their responsibility. No matter the situation, they'd lend you their jacket even if you're a little cold, sometimes even draping it over your shoulder before you can even ask.

• they're ALSO quite protective over you. Would show their protectiveness in the form of quietly wrapping an arm around your waist, pulling you closer to them when you're talking with a stranger who's making you uncomfortable, as if showing them who you belong to, and proving to you that they're always there for you. Would also naturally shield you in crowds, keeping you close to them to make sure no one bumps into you. Would call you nicknames like "baby" "my love" "sweetheart" which you swoon over everytime.

𓆩♡𓆪 wooyoung, mingi

• not gonna lie, your dynamics would be quite similar to that of an older brother and a younger sister. Even though your age difference is barely 1-2 years, the both of you would be teasing the hell outta each other, annoy each other every chance you get, yet care the most for each other and show your love in the tiniest, most random ways. Their nature is like that- they're quite unserious and so are you. Dating mingi and wooyoung with them being older than you would be like having a best friend, older brother & boyfriend all in one.

• similarly, like an older brother would be naturally protective of their younger sister, they'd be protective of you. Considering how dramatic these two can get sometimes, they'd throw tantrums when you ask them to pick you up late at night but would always be there to pick you up the fastest. They'd keep an eye around you in front of others, when you're out in public or around new people, you're always in their eyesight, making sure no one's making you uncomfortable.

• Would slightly mess up your hair after giving you head pats, and you'd scold them for it, but they just do it to annoy you and to be endeared by that pout on your face. Your kisses would always last longer than necessary because they just don't want to let go of you so soon. They can get quite clingy sometimes, requesting you to stay the night and cuddle at their place to spend more time with you, making you question who's the younger one between the both of you, lol. They'd also be the type to tuck you in safely in bed after coming home exhausted from a date, and stare at your peaceful resting face for hours, carefully fixing the hair on your eyes so that it doesn't bother you. These two would show their love in hidden ways like these, admiring you even more when you don't notice.

𓆩♡𓆪 yeosang, jongho

• would be extremely gentle and caring with you. Sometimes maybe even more than necessary- they'd be the type to hold your hand at literally any chance they get. Although these two don't like showing their physical affection often- when they're in a relationship with a younger s/o, they would love to interlock their fingers with yours, gently swaying it from side to side. Would help you out with the smallest of tasks- such as holding your shopping bag/ purse which is heavier than usual for you without question. Would try to help you out in all ways possible, as their way of showing their love towards you.

• they would be especially protective over your health and well-being. If you're a student, they'd make sure taking breaks in between studying, would always text you to remind you to have your regular meals and make sure you're eating well. During exam times they'd come over and make sure you're not staying up too late revising, would get you to study during daytime itself so you get enough sleep at night & make sure you don't procrastinate.

• They would also stand up for you & firmly defend you- be it someone talking harshly to you, or you disagreeing with someone, they'd calmly step in but would stay there by your side until everything gets resolved. They're quite mature like that & you admire that side of theirs a lot. When you're walking alone late at night, they'd either accompany you or stay with you at all times on the phone, talking about random stuff until you've reached home safely. Would surprise you with little gifts (your favourite chocolate, snacks, some book you wished to have) even if it's not a special occasion because they know that you love surprises & would spoil you with them from time to time.

[glowettee]

Hi Mindy! I’m a college student and I’m struggling to go to bed at a decent hour (think 3 am bedtimes every day) because of the amount of homework I have. Do you have any tips for time management so I can figure out how to get my homework done all during the day so I’m not losing sleep? (Any app recommendations or suggestions on how to schedule my day would be greatly appreciated). Thank you so much! I love your blog and I love seeing your posts🩷

how to get your life together & actually sleep: time management tips for college✨

hi love! 💌 first off, thank you so much for your sweet words. they genuinely made me smile. i’m so proud of you for wanting to improve your time management and prioritize your sleep (honestly, sleep is like the ultimate self-care, and you deserve it). i know college can feel like a whirlwind of assignments, deadlines, and just… life. staying up until 3 am is no joke, and it’s amazing that you’re ready to make a change. let’s make your routine feel a little more manageable and a lot more magical.

☁️ romanticize your productivity: first thing’s first: mindset. instead of viewing homework as this scary, endless task that eats up your nights, try to romanticize it. create a cozy study ritual. light a candle, make a cute study playlist (ex: lo-fi mixed with soft acoustics), and set up your space in a way that makes you actually want to sit down and work. i know it sounds silly, but giving your study sessions a soft, aesthetic vibe can make them feel less like a chore and more like a peaceful little routine. i have a lot of posts talking about this

🌙 break down your workload: sometimes it’s not about how much work you have but how it’s organized. take a few minutes in the morning or the night before to make a list of what you actually need to accomplish. break it down into small, bite-sized tasks. for example, instead of “study for chem exam,” write down “review chapter 4 notes,” “do practice problems,” and “make flashcards for key concepts.” checking off small tasks feels way more rewarding than staring at a big, vague to-do.

💡 create a time-blocking ritual: i’m obsessed with time-blocking because it feels like giving each task its own little home. instead of doing everything all at once (which is just chaos), dedicate specific chunks of time to each task. for instance:

🌼 9-10 am: review lecture notes

✨ 10-11:30 am: work on that essay (no distractions)

🍓 11:30-12: take a break, stretch, grab a snack

💻 12-1: group project research set timers to keep yourself accountable. i use the “focus keeper” app for 25-minute work sessions with 5-minute breaks. it’s surprisingly motivating!

📅 the magic of reverse scheduling: if you know you want to be in bed by, say, 11 pm, plan your day backwards from there. schedule your evening wind-down routine (like skincare, a little journaling, and tea) and work your way back through the hours, assigning tasks in reverse. this way, you’re prioritizing sleep as non-negotiable and shaping your day to respect that.

✨ my fave apps for dreamy productivity:

notion: perfect for creating aesthetic, organized to-do lists, study schedules, and even journaling about your progress.

flora: turns studying into a game by planting a virtual tree while you focus. if you leave the app, the tree dies (no pressure, right?).

toggl: tracks your time so you can see how long tasks actually take. it’s eye-opening to realize you might be spending way more time scrolling than studying.

clockify: like a little personal assistant that tracks your study sessions and breaks. it’s simple and kind of addicting to see how productive you’ve been.

habitica: makes productivity feel like an RPG game. complete with character upgrades when you check things off. honestly, it’s too cute to resist.

💖 mindy’s personal tips:

📝 batch similar tasks: do all your note-taking at once, then all your problem-solving. your brain doesn’t have to keep switching gears.

🎯 use the “two-minute rule”: if something takes less than two minutes, do it right away (like replying to emails or organizing your notes).

🕰️ the 1-3-5 rule: pick one big task, three medium tasks, and five small ones to accomplish each day. it keeps your to-do list from being overwhelming.

✨ romanticize rest too: treat your sleep as sacred. create a pre-bed routine that you actually look forward to, like reading a few pages of a lighthearted book or doing a little night yoga.

🌸 don't forget how important 'no' is: sometimes, we overcommit because we’re too nice to say no. it’s okay to protect your time! practice polite ways to decline extra responsibilities when you know they’ll eat into your sleep. like, “i’d love to help, but i have to focus on my assignments tonight. let’s plan something for the weekend!”

🌙 gentle evening wind-down: your body needs time to transition from productivity mode to sleep mode. about an hour before bed, turn off your screens, dim the lights, and switch to calming activities. i like using the “calm” app for guided meditations that feel like little bedtime stories.

🌱 become a morning person (yes, it’s possible)

one trick that really works is having something to look forward to. think of a tiny, indulgent ritual that you save just for mornings. maybe it’s a frothy matcha latte with vanilla syrup, journaling in a pretty notebook, or listening to your favorite podcast while you stretch. the key is to make mornings feel like a gift to yourself rather than just the start of a grind.

set your alarm to a song that makes you feel good!! something soft and happy. bonus points if it’s different from your usual playlist because it’ll feel special. place your phone across the room so you have to physically get up to turn it off. i also love using the “alarmy” app because it makes you solve a simple puzzle before it stops ringing (annoying, but effective).

once you’re up, avoid falling back into bed by making your bed immediately. it’s like telling your brain, “we’re up now. no going back.” then, try a quick, gentle morning stretch to wake your body up without feeling rushed. mornings can actually feel soft and peaceful if you give yourself permission to take it slow.

as for getting enough sleep the night before. make it non-negotiable. treat your bedtime like an important meeting you can’t cancel. remind yourself that a well-rested mind works way better than a sleep-deprived one. it’s all about romanticizing rest as part of your productivity rather than seeing it as wasted time.

give it a week, and see how you feel. even a small shift, like waking up 30 minutes earlier, can make your day feel more spacious and less chaotic. being a morning person is just about creating tiny habits that make mornings feel like a calm beginning rather than a rushed scramble.

🌸 micro productivity okay, let’s be real... sometimes the idea of sitting down for a three-hour study session feels completely overwhelming. that’s where micro productivity comes in. instead of blocking out huge chunks of time, break your tasks into mini-sprints that fit into the small gaps of your day.

for example, while waiting for your coffee to brew, you could make a quick list of your priorities for the day. during your commute or while you’re eating lunch, review your flashcards or skim your notes. those little moments add up, and suddenly your workload doesn’t feel as intense because you’ve been chipping away at it throughout the day.

one of my favorite apps for this is “quizlet.” you can make digital flashcards and quickly review them whenever you have a spare moment. or use “ankidroid” for spaced repetition. it’s great for subjects that require lots of memorization.

another trick? the “two-minute rule.” if a task takes less than two minutes, do it immediately rather than adding it to your to-do list. this helps clear out small, annoying tasks that tend to pile up (like replying to emails or organizing your desktop).

i also love the idea of micro journaling. sometimes, when you’re overwhelmed, writing down just one thought or feeling can give your brain the clarity it craves. it doesn’t have to be a full journal entry, just a few words that capture your mood or intention.

don’t underestimate the function of small wins. every tiny task you complete builds momentum and makes the bigger assignments feel more doable. it’s like telling yourself, “i’m already being productive today. let’s keep that energy going.”

the goal is to make productivity feel more like a series of little achievements rather than one massive to-do list. micro productivity helps you stay on top of things without burning out, and it feels way more manageable when your schedule is packed.

💫 stay motivated when your energy is low we’ve all been there. those days when your brain feels like it’s wrapped in a fog, and the idea of tackling your to-do list feels impossible. it’s okay to have low-energy days, but let’s find a way to work with them instead of against them.

first, check in with yourself. is your low energy from lack of sleep, stress, or just general burnout? sometimes just identifying the reason helps you figure out what kind of self-care you need. if you’re physically tired, maybe your focus should be on rest or low-effort tasks. if it’s more mental fatigue, try switching up your study space or doing something creative to break the monotony.

use the idea of “productive rest.” sometimes, resting doesn’t mean doing nothing. it can be as simple as switching tasks to something lighter, like organizing your notes or doing some gentle stretching while listening to a podcast related to your coursework. this way, you’re still moving forward, just at a gentler pace.

set up a reward system to motivate yourself. for example, after 20 minutes of studying, give yourself a 5-minute break to scroll through pinterest or listen to a song you love. use apps like “forest” to stay focused during your work session and then celebrate with a cute coffee break when your tree grows.

also, be kind to yourself. it’s okay if you’re not operating at 100% all the time. instead of pushing yourself to be overly productive, prioritize what actually needs to get done. sometimes, just getting one important task out of the way is enough for the day, and that’s completely valid.

remember, your energy levels fluctuate, and that’s perfectly normal. don’t pressure yourself to be endlessly productive. balance is key. the goal is sustainable productivity, not burning out from trying to do everything at once. listen to your body, adjust your pace, and know that it’s okay to take breaks when you need them.

💫 final thoughts: it’s all about balance, being productive during the day is great, but you’re human. you can’t be on 24/7. give yourself grace when things don’t go perfectly. the goal isn’t perfection; it’s progress. prioritize rest as much as you prioritize getting things done, and your mind (and grades) will thank you.

xoxo mindy

[azzibuckets]

good luck babe part 2 [pazzi]

paige bueckers x azzi fudd

word count: 1.4k

a/n: i lowk do not like this but oh well

part 1 | masterlist

“You can’t force me to be here,” Azzi grumbled. “This is literally kidnapping.”

“You’re right, I can’t.” Caroline twirled the keys to the locker room on her finger, god knows how she got them. “But if I see you leave this room, I’m telling Geno about the checkup you failed last-,”

“Okay, fine,” Azzi interrupted, hoping Paige wasn’t following what Caroline was saying. She didn’t need the older girl to find out why CD had pulled her out of practice early the week before. “Sadist.” Her eyes burned into the back of Caroline’s head as the brunette shut the door, locking it with a click.

Azzi looked up at the tiles on the ceiling, the silence in the room louder then ever. With a loud groan, she sat down at her locker, making sure to send the blonde the dirtiest look she could muster. Paige held her hands up in defeat, pure innocence on her face. “Don’t look at me. This wasn’t my idea.” Paige looked down awkwardly at her hands, and Azzi took the opportunity to study the blonde. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days, but Azzi’s heart still thudded at the soft shininess of her blonde hair and the curve of her mouth that she’d once memorized with her own lips.

Azzi’s curiosity got the best of her. “What did Caroline threaten you with?”

Paige blinked, confusion overtaking her face for a moment. “What?”

“How did she force you to be here?”

Paige folded her legs up, crossing her arms around her knees. Cocking her head with a stare so intense that Azzi had to break eye contact, she said, “She didn’t. I wanted to see you.”

“Bullshit.”

“How can you think I’m lying when I’ve tried calling and texting you hundreds of times?” Paige’s tone was bitter. “You wouldn’t even let me into your apartment when I sat outside the door for three hours.”

It had been the hardest thing Azzi had ever done, ignoring Paige. But she’d told herself that it was necessary in order for her to heal, that she wouldn’t be able to get over Paige if she didn’t cut off all ties. But now a sliver of doubt ran through her body as she looked at the older girl, because from the way every single neuron in her brain was lighting up from just being in the same room as her, Azzi knew her plan had completely and utterly failed. “You let me walk away the first time.”

“And I regret it every day.”

Azzi clenched her jaw. “What are you trying to get at? You obviously don’t reciprocate my feelings, and I’ve obviously been trying to get over you. Why are you making it so damn difficult?” Azzi was on fire now, her lungs burning with the need to say these words that have kept her up the past twenty nights. “Do you enjoy seeing me so hung up on you? Does it make you happy that I’ve ended up just like all the other girls you’ve been with, in love with you because you’re good at sex?” She snarled the last words mockingly, ignoring the way her heart panged at the hurt in Paige’s eyes.

“What other girls?”

“What?”

“What other girls, Azzi? You speak of all these other girls but there hasn’t been anyone.” Paige’s voice faltered. “There was Breanna, from my freshman year before you came. I told you about her. And that was fucking it, Azzi. There’s been no one else because I can’t think of anyone but you.”

“Then why?” Azzi was at a loss for words. “Why did you not-”

“I’m a pussy, Azzi,” Paige said dryly. “You know I’m not the bravest when it comes to you. It’s always one step forward and three steps back with us.” She swiped at her cheeks with her sleeve, hoping that she could hold back her tears just long enough to explain herself. “We’re best friends, but I feel no label could do justice to how I feel about you.”

Azzi’s bottom lip trembled. “How do you feel about me?”

“That you make me laugh so fucking hard that I don’t need Hudy’s dumbass ab workouts.” A scratchy laugh escaped Azzi’s lips, and Paige folded that sound into her heart. God, she’d missed the way Azzi smiled. “You make me feel sane after games when social media becomes a living hell hole.” Paige took a step towards the younger girl, testing the waters. “And I think you’re beautiful. You know I love watching basketball, but I…I think I love watching you more.” Azzi shook her head, taking a timid step back when Paige kept on advancing, but before she knew it, Paige’s hands were on the small of her back, on her hips and up her sides until she was fully in Paige’s arms. “And I think that I want to make you mine. And fuck it if it’s too early, but I wanna marry you too. Because I can’t imagine living the rest of my life with anyone but you, Azzi.”

“Paige.” Azzi’s eyes were watery, and there was a faint smile on her lips, and hope was glimmering inside Paige that she’d broken through to the girl. But Azzi looked down, stepping away from Paige, her hands falling helplessly to her side, and Paige knew. “You can’t just sweet talk your way into making things okay.”

Paige swallowed hard, pushing down the panicky feeling rising in her throat. She’d laid her whole heart out, had ran over this speech inside her head hundreds of times. Now wasn’t the time to fall apart, not when Azzi was just at her fingertips. “Then what do you want me to do, Azzi? I’ve come after you so many times trying to apologize. I want you, and I don’t know how to make myself any more fucking clear.”

“I-”

“I’m not letting you go again.”

“God, Paige, aren’t you scared?”

“How can you even ask that?” Paige’s hands curled into fists, her nails digging into her palms. “Of course I’m scared. But I’m trusting you with my whole goddamn heart. But if I’m being honest with myself, you’ve had it for the past five years.” With trembling fingers, Paige ran a thumb over Azzi’s cheekbone. “I know I fucked up earlier, but this is me saying that I’m gonna try. I’m begging you to give me one more chance.”

A tear fell slowly down Azzi’s cheek. She closed her eyes briefly, leaning ever so slightly into the warmth of Paige’s palm. “You mean it?”

“I could never lie to you.”

For the rest of their lives, they’d argue over what happened next. Azzi claimed Paige kissed her first. Paige insisted Azzi was the one who initiated it. Regardless, both of them fell into each other, hands frantically running over each others bodies and pulling each other closer. It was surreal for Azzi, the feeling of Paige kissing her like she would die if she stopped. She tasted the saltiness of her tears, the sweetness of Paige’s lips, and she wanted more. When she whimpered, Paige tightened her grip on the younger girl’s waist, fingers flexing around the belt loops of her jeans. It felt like hours until Paige brought her hands to Azzi’s chest and gently broke them apart.

Azzi’s lips were swollen, her mouth wet, her pupils dilated. She looked up at Paige through her lashes, and it took everything in the older girl not to start kissing her again. Focus, she chided herself. “What’s this I heard about your checkup?”

“Do we have to talk about this right now?” Azzi pressed her mouth against Paige’s again, and Paige relaxed into her touch for a second before realizing. “Azzi.”

Azzi sighed, giving Paige one last peck before resting her forehead against hers. “My knee was acting up again. It hasn’t hurt for a while but it flared the day of the checkup and I couldn’t complete some of the agility movements.”

Paige pursed her lips. “I told you you’ve been in the gym too much. You can’t go in all at once or you’re gonna hurt yourself again.”

“You of all people shouldn’t be telling me this,” Azzi said, clearly referencing how Paige had tried to rush her own rehab the year before. She turned away, annoyed by how the conversation was going, but Paige gently grabbed her elbow.

“Hey,” Paige said gently. “I don’t wanna fight. We literally just ended our last one.”

“I’m just saying, you didn’t go to any of my PT sessions in the last few weeks. You don’t get to comment on how I’m healing.”

Paige raised her eyebrows. “I’m pretty sure if I’d shown up you would’ve kicked me out.”

Azzi scoffed. “That’s not the point.”

The look in Paige’s eyes softened. “I know, but I promise I’m gonna be with you at every session again.“

“I wanted you there.”

“Hm?”

“It’s true, I probably would’ve tried to kick you out if you’d shown up, but…I wanted you there anyways.” Azzi twisted her lips. “It was hard having the motivation to go without your annoying ass forcing me each time.”

“So you did miss me,” Paige smirked.

“That’s literally not what I said.”

“Okay babe.” Paige’s tone was teasing, but Azzi had to look away to hide her blush anyway. Babe. She could get used to that.

[dreamdolldiary]

#𝟏𝟎𝟎𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒𝐑𝐄𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

This is how we are NOT going to wait until the new year (or a new whatever) to be the best version of ourselves, we are going to change now.

When you want to change, change. Don't wait for anything.

There are about 100 days until the new year. That is 3 months. You can get so much done within that timeframe.

But with the "new year" aside, please know that there is absolutely no rush to improve. It can be July and you can still decide to "reinvent" yourself. This is just a fun thing to do and keep track of.

Not a "challenge" but a way to stay accountable for your goals for a better you.

୨୧ Here is how we are going to absolutely kill it!

1. Pick a number of goals (3-4, both small and large) for every aspect of your life.

Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, professional, personal.

Physical: 10k steps a day, working on being sober, moving your body around more, getting into bed earlier, reducing screen time, cooking healthier meals, brushing your hair, wearing the nice clothes you're saving for a "special occasion", trying out new looks and clothes, venturing out new styles, upgrading your basic hygiene routine, celibacy, drink more water

Mental: writing down your thoughts, keeping track of your emotions both negative and positive and what triggers them. Get rid of the negative triggers and bring in more of the positive triggers.

Emotional: getting in touch with a therapist, dedicating a journal to release you emotions instead of bottling them in, talking to friends, anger management

Professional: working 1 hour or more of deep work to improve your skills, networking events

Personal: find your old hobbies, discover new ones, pleaseee get a hobby. seriously! trying out new restaurants and cafes, complimenting people and be open to making new friends.

Spiritual: meditation, prayers to yourself or religion you are a part of, nature/solitude walks. These are super important, it brings you peace of mind and a time to really be with yourself and be at peace after your jam packed days

Finance: learn how to budget, no impulse spending, learn how to invest, find a way to increase your income

Important habits to have: waking up and going to bed early, planning your next day, having a set routine and freedom to change it to fit your priorities

Important skills to build: time management and how to focus better

These are just some ideas and I know looking at this list can be overwhelming so you need to remember and understand that you are not going to be doing every single one of these every single day. You are going to pick a few from each category (and seriously, if you think about it, I discuss this in the next section about time blocking, it really does not take a lot of time. Trust me.) and include them into your daily routine.

2. Setting up reasonable time blocks for these goals. Revamp your schedule to fit your goals around your life.

Getting up early is how you get more done in a day. Yes, you can reach your goals even with a full time job.

I work almost 12 hour shifts every week day while taking care of kids, my dog, basically running a household and I still get so much done.

So you've picked your goals. Great. Now take a look at your schedule and figure out what things are taking up most of your time. Is it a long commute? Spending too much time scrolling on your phone? Waking up late? Going to bed late?

Example of time blocking/a schedule:

☆ Mornings:

4am-5am: exercise, pray/meditate

5am-7am: study

8am-4pm: get ready for the day and go to work.

during your work break, you can read a book, get steps in, meditate, have a nice meal.

☆ Evenings:

4pm-5pm: get back from work, eat, catch up with family or have alone time

5pm-7pm: review any notes, clean, meal prep, attend a class you may have, do laundry

7pm-9pm: plan the next day if you have appointment or deadlines, shower, go to bed

Assess how you spend your time and utilize it. Instead of scrolling on your phone during your free time, spend time with your loved ones (pets, kids, partner), instead of staying in one place while you're on a call, walk around to get steps in, there is always a way to implement your goals into your daily life.

Notice how I say fit your goals around your life. You don't want to be taking away important things like errands, jobs, school, being a parent just meet your goals- no. Use your time wisely. That's all. You can fit them.

On the larger goals like taking up a class/large skill, like dancing and painting. On fridays, you'll have dance class and on other days that you have free, you'll be painting a piece or reading your anticipated book, learning a language, trying out a new recipe, planning the next day, taking a spontaneous art class, etc!

Weekends.

Because I work a lot, I like to use weekends to really do deep work. Intensive study sessions. And because I deep work (work with no distractions) I don't need to study all day. I'm getting so much done in little time that I'll be done by the afternoon and I can go out and do errands, get all dressed up and have a nice day out in the city, or just have a relaxing day by doing chores, watching a nice movie and more!

3. Setting up a system so you can actually stick to those goals.

Keep a journal to keep track of what you did today. If you didn't reach a goal that day (and that's okay), ask yourself why? and how does it make you feel? Then take action on what you can do to reach it tomorrow.

Switching. We all know it’s best to not push yourself so hard. For example, don’t do intense exercise everyday. Walking and dancing throughout the day counts as exercise too, so by switching (depending on YOUR goals), you’ll have time for your other goals as well. Here is an example: on a rest day of no exercising, maybe that day is the night I have a ballet class. That is exercise as well. So instead of exercising in the very early hours of my day, I can use that time instead to do more studying OR have more time doing something else.

which means I can do one do the following: spend more time with my pet, read a few pages of my book, make a new recipe, etc.

Ex. 4am-5am - on a no-exercise day, i can study during that time instead. 6am-7am - more time to tackle my other goals.

Create a foundation. If you have an amazing day, felt very productive and accomplished, what's a habit that really helped? For me, it's always getting up early. If I wake up late because I slept late or my alarm didn't go off, my day is thrown off by a landslide. So if you had an off day, figure out why and maybe your foundation can help.

★ That’s all!

If you have questions or need an example to jump off from, click below to read more on how I personally did my reset and how I am still able to get much more done with a full time job.

Stay safe, prospering, and amazing!

Share your accountability posts with the tag #100DaysWithDDD or we can chat through my inbox if you need extra tips, questions or want to share how you're doing/did.

I will be logging my days too, you can find my goals here.

Welcome, welcome!

Here is an example of what I did when I did my reset and still doing now with working.

I chose my goals. I was studying deeply, spending more time with my dog who I felt bad would be bored during my study hours, be more active, get through my books.

How did I start? First of all I got up earlier and went to bed earlier. I noticed that I focus better in the mornings so I would stretch, workout and started studying. Next, I would get ready (nice clothes, my face is clear, hair is brushed), take my dog out, play with him, etc and head to work. See? I already tackled so many of my goals there! Physical, personal, and professional.

Want to get more books in, want to meditate, want to journal? Listen to an audiobook or podcast while you drive, commute, or have a lunch break at school or work. Or don't. Sit in silence and let your mind wander, let those unconscious ideas come up! That's also a form of meditation and having more creative skills.

During my study breaks, I would stretch, walk my dog. Another break, I catch up with the kids, do any short tasks like laundry, mini tidying up. Any break, at all I would do micro-task.

I stopped doing useless things like spending so much time on my phone for what? If I was truly bored, I had done all my tasks but I didn't feel like getting up or doing anything, I would go on my phone... to clean out apps and my camera roll (which has A LOT of things on it I still need to get through). That's the only time I would go on my phone really. The lack of storage on my phone makes it lag- I'm heavily scolding my past hoarder self for keeping so many photos on there

If you work a desk job, get up for phone calls, take laps when there is nothing to do, just get your body moving! Stretch! There is always something to do, you just have to know how and what.

[meazalykov]

wrong number

bayern munich frauen x reader

1/6, 2/6, 3/6, 4/6, 5/6, 6/6

"who are you, and why do you have my number?"

you've been preparing for this move for what feels like forever.

the idea of leaving your small hometown in virginia to live in munich is both exciting and terrifying. you’ve spent weeks packing your things, saying goodbyes, and trying to mentally prepare yourself for the massive change that’s about to happen. 

sure, you’ve dreamed about studying abroad for a long time. now that it’s here, the reality of it feels overwhelming.

you’re going to be thousands of miles away from home, from everything you’ve ever known. your family is supportive, and your friends have been hyping you up nonstop. yasmeen, your closest friend, has been particularly great about helping you stay grounded, always there to distract you from the “what ifs” when the anxiety gets a little too intense. 

today is one of those days.

the two of you had planned a mall trip—something normal and fun before the whirlwind of final packing and travel arrangements takes over. well, yasmeen says that you need a new closet for munich and you don’t disagree.

it feels good to be doing something so ordinary, especially when you know that soon enough, everything in your life is about to be not-so-ordinary. 

you’ve been to this mall a hundred times with yasmeen, today feels a little more special though. maybe it’s because you’re hyperaware that you won’t have moments like these once you’re in germany.

will you make friends in germany? what if germany turns out horribly? are the people nice? is there xenophobia you might experience due to yourself being american? these thoughts plagued the back of your mind. 

"you’re gonna miss me so much, you know that, right?" yasmeen teases as the two of you walk through the mall’s food court, eyeing the chick-fil-a counter but opting for chipotle instead.

you roll your eyes playfully, nudging her with your elbow with the arm that's carrying your aritzia bag. 

"i’ll miss your constant harassment, that’s for sure."

"constant harassment? i’m literally the best thing that ever happened to you!"

"okay, sure," you laugh. 

honestly, yasmeen has been a huge part of your life for the past few years. she was the first person you clicked with back in high school, and now it feels weird to think about going through the next few years without her by your side. 

you’re trying not to dwell on it, though. you’ll still have facetime, you tell yourself. 

after grabbing and eating your rice bowls, you both head toward the stores. it’s one of those days where everything feels easy—there’s no pressure to buy anything. you did though obviously.

at one point, yasmeen holds up a bright red kit with a smirk.

"ouu a bayern munich kittt. you should totally buy it, you will fit in with the munich community."

you tilt your head, laughing. 

"what is that? i don’t even watch soccer."

"woah! you better once you hit germany– i heard soccer to them is like how the nfl is to americans."

you shake your head but decide to try it on anyway. yasmeen snaps a photo and tells you that you look like you’re about to cheer for some random german soccer team. 

you don’t think much of it and put the jersey back, moving on to the next store.

as the day goes on, you feel a strange mix of contentment and anticipation. it’s nice being here, with your best friend, doing normal things, but there’s a part of you that’s itching to start this next chapter of your life. 

it’s like you’re stuck in this weird limbo between your old life and the new one that’s waiting for you on the other side of the world.

eventually, after several hours of shopping, you realize your phone had died. you don’t even remember when it happened. 

you’ve been so caught up in the moment with yasmeen that you didn’t notice the battery draining.

"ugh, my phone’s dead," you say, glancing at the blank screen.

yasmeen shrugs. 

"mine’s still good. if anything, i can call you an uber."

"nah, i’m good. i’ll just charge it when i get home."

you both grab shoes at birkenstock before say your goodbyes outside the mall. yasmeen gives you an extra tight hug. 

"don’t get caught up with your european friends and forgetting about me, okay?"

"never," you promise.

when you get home, you immediately plug your phone into the charger and head straight to the shower. 

the hot water feels good against your skin, washing away the stress of the day. you’ve got so much on your mind—packing, travel plans, what your life is going to look like in a few weeks—but right now, standing under the stream of water, you feel calm. 

you let your thoughts drift away and focus on the simple rhythm of the water hitting your shoulders.

when you finally get out of the shower, you feel refreshed, like maybe you can tackle all the things on your to-do list without getting overwhelmed.

when you grab your phone and take it off of your charger, you notice something strange. 

it’s blowing up with notifications. you squint at the screen, trying to make sense of what’s happening. 

there’s a new group chat, and it’s filled with numbers you don’t recognize.

confused, you open the messages. the chat is already deep into a conversation about something, but none of it makes sense to you.

+49 176 1234567: pernille you’re AMAZING wtf was that!!!!????? 

+49 171 7654321: arsenals defense during this match had nothing on you or syd holy shit

your brows furrow. arsenal? match? what are they talking about? you know absolutely nothing about this conversation. 

hell, you’re not even sure what country arsenal plays for. the confusion only grows as you scroll up to see more of the conversation.

you: hi?

almost immediately, your message is met with a flood of responses.

+49 171 7654321: giulia! finally! where have you been?

+49 178 1233567: we’ve been trying to reach all day, i know we had no training but are you okay?

your heart skips a beat. giulia? who the hell is giulia? you’ve definitely never gone by that name.

you: uh, i think you’ve got the wrong number. i’m not giulia.

for a moment, the chat goes silent. you stare at your phone, wondering if you should just leave the group.

before you can, a new message pops up.

+49 176 1234567: wait, what?

+49 171 7654321: did we add the wrong number again?

+49 171 11122222: sydney, you’re an idiot. you added the wrong number!

there’s a pause before a new number is added to the group.

+49 152 3334444: you guys finally added me.

you assume this is the real giulia. still, no one seems to be kicking you out of the chat, and before you know it, the conversation picks up again.

+49 176 1234567: giulia, you missed our whole debate about the arsenal match.

+49 171 7654321: yeah, and we were saying bayern needs to keep it up for juventus.

you stare at your phone, more confused than ever. arsenal, bayern… these are clearly soccer teams, but why are they talking to you? you don’t even watch soccer. eventually, you decide to chime in.

you: um?? i have no idea what any of you are talking about. 

this time, the chat explodes with messages.

+49 171 7654321: what?!

+49 176 1234567: how do you not know bayern munich?

+49 175 7778888: do you watch fusball? 

+49 171 1112222: okay, who are you?

+44 177 9900000: ok guys that makes me feel better about this not being a crazy fan.

+49 170 4479173: i agree with georgia 

you explain your situation—that you’re a 21-year-old college student from virginia, and you somehow got added to this group chat by mistake. 

you tell them about your upcoming move to munich for your study abroad program, hoping to clear up the confusion.

+49 152 3334444: wait… you’re moving to munich? like… munich, germany?

+49 171 7654321: that’s insane omg we all live in munich.

+44 171 9900000: wtffff 

+49 176 1234567: this is such a weird coincidence.

you blink at your screen. this is getting stranger by the second. what are the odds that you’d get added to a random group chat full of people who live in the exact city you’re about to move to?

+49 171 1112222: okay, but how do we know you’re not some creepy dude pretending to be a girl?

+49 172 4567389: LMAO LENA 

+57 170 9193831: wait… 

you roll your eyes at the suspicion but understand why they might be cautious. so, you send them your instagram handle to prove you’re real. 

you: ew, i am not some old dude. @ y/n.l/n is my insta, just me out for yourselves.

after a few minutes, messages start pouring in again.

+49 152 3334444: yep, she’s legit.

+49 176 1234567: okay, cool. she seems sweet.

+49 171 9718193: guys laura would love her photography skills

you: who’s laura

+49 171 9900000: someone from the german national team. she plays in frankfurt

+44 177 9900000: this is so cool idky why.. usually i’d be freaked out

a few new followers pop up on your instagram notifications, and you open the app to check. you almost drop your phone when you see that some of the accounts following you are verified. 

*sydneylohmann is now following you*

and another 

*georgiastanway is now following you* 

*tuvahansen is now following you* 

and more.. 

*leaschuller is now following you* 

*lenaoberdorf is now following you* 

*kathi.ng is now following you* 

*pharder10 is now following you*

*guzman013_ is now following you* 

*sarahzadrazil25 is now following you* 

now it seems like the whole team is catching on.. 

*buehlklara is now following you* 

*magdalenaeriksson26 is now following you* 

*magou_doucoure is now following you* 

*dahmannlinda is now following you* 

it's until you do a quick google search that you realize who they are.

they’re professional soccer players.

you sit there, staring at your phone, completely in shock. you’ve somehow stumbled into a group chat full of actual women’s soccer players. 

trying to play it cool, you decide to treat them like normal people.

after all, you don’t even know anything about soccer, so it’s not like you’re going to fan out over them.

you: so, what are your names? i want to save your numbers because all of the unsaved numbers are overwhelming haha 

they go around introducing themselves, and you quickly type their names into your phone, saving each number under the name they give you.

+49 152 3334444: i’m giulia

+49 171 7654321: sydney

+44 177 9900000: georgia s 

+49 179 7777777: lea 

+57 170 9193831: ana g. there’s two ana’s so i’d add the last name letter to tell the difference 💜

it’s surreal, somehow you find yourself chatting with them like they’re any other group of girls you’d meet in a random group chat. 

they even start to warm up to you after a few days, especially after you tell them more about your move to munich. 

a few of them offer to show you around the city once you get there.

georgia: honestly, munich’s great. you’re going to love it.

sydney: we can help you find all the best spots.

lena: i can definitely ☺️

lea: lena you just moved here from wolfsburg.. 

lena: lea shushhhh 🙄

pernille: ??? 

you smile at your phone, feeling a little less nervous about the move. it’s strange, but you’re actually starting to look forward to meeting these girls in person. 

sure, they’re professional soccer players, but they’re also just… normal people. and they seem to like you.

as the chat continues, you get the sense that they trust you. maybe it’s because of your instagram or the way you’ve been honest with them from the start, but whatever it is, they don’t seem to mind that you accidentally got added to their group. 

in fact, they seem to enjoy having you around.

klara: you seem chill. i know its been a week since you’ve been added but do you promise to keep our secrets safe? 

lena: ^

you: i promise. i like you guys! 

it’s not every day you accidentally make friends with a group of famous athletes, but somehow, that’s exactly what’s happened. 

as strange as it is, you’re kind of excited about it.

part two here

[theveil-and-thepath]

Mini PAC n° 2: 3 things to happen in the next 3 days.

Pile 1 - Pile 2

Pile 3 - Pile 4

You can pick more than one! Just follow your heart!

What will happen in the next 72 hours of whenever you find this reading?

*This is a source of entertainment, your destiny is in your hands.*

Pile 1

1 - Nine of Cups , Wheel of Fortune , Seven of Cups. Garden , Clover , Coffin. - LION: Time to act.

2 - The Star , Four of Swords , Three of Swords. Ring , Child , Fox. - BOOT: Increase your efforts if you want to achieve your goals.

3 - Ace of Wands , Six of Pentacles , Two of Pentacles. Clover , Garden , Letter. - LILY: Spiritual love.

You will take action regarding a wish of yours or something you have been only thinking of doing for a good while; you will take action. There will be the right place or opportunity, or simply, the time is now because it is. I believe it's you putting an end to a situation. It can be the end of a relationship, but I feel more that it’s you actively putting an end to a feeling or a situation so you can move on. This is a deliberate move of yours; you do it willingly, and it will bring more luck into your life.

You had expectations that something would happen, or high hopes for an outcome, but it will be postponed or you won't hear back from a person, until you realize this promise was false or that it won't be as you expected it to be. You are disappointed by this, but maybe more so by a person who made you a promise that they could make something work, but they didn’t do their part of the agreement. You may feel like you were taken for a fool or someone sees you as naive. I don’t think it’s a big matter, though. I think it’s work-related or related to something in your studies where someone said they'd give you their part of the work but didn’t. I don’t see it as a big disappointment in a close connection. But someone will let you down regarding something.

The first and second events may be related, but they could also be about different situations (I feel it's two different things).

Despite this previous event, you will feel better when you receive an invitation to a place you didn’t think you could be invited to. Maybe you needed a ticket to get in, and a friend will give it to you. A good person will do something nice for you, and you know their intentions are pure.

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

Pile 2

1 - Page of Pentacles , The Hanged Man , Two of Swords. Tower , Bear , Scythe. - DESK: Pay attention to your work.

2 - Six of Wands , Temperance , King of Pentacles. Heart , Letter , Coffin. - TEARDROPS: Great personal sorrow.

3 - Justice , Wheel of Fortune , Seven of Pentacles. Stars , Rider , Child. - COINS: Money will be coming to you.

You may say "no" to your boss or to someone who wants you to do something for them because you already have a lot to do. You will prioritize yourself and your tasks, no matter how high up the other person is. You may fear you will fall sick because of your work. Maybe your boss will take leave or give you extra responsibility temporarily, and it can be heavy on you for the next three days. For some, your boss/an authority/an institution may say they cannot meet you or talk to you now, and you'll have to wait.

You may receive the closure you want from a past relationship. If you want to break up with someone, it’s a good time to resolve it peacefully. There is both a sense of victory, maturity, and spiritual intervention, so this closing of a connection will feel good.

Work-wise, you may receive the news of a raise or a change in position that was long earned and well-deserved. An offer of a prosperous new beginning for you; it will be long-lasting as well. It may not start immediately, but you will spot this opportunity.

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

Pile 3

1 - The Lovers , Knight of Swords , Seven of Swords. Birds , Dog , Sun. - KNOT: Unsuccessful plans.

2 - Two of Pentacles , Two of Wands , Page of Cups. . Snake , Child , Ship. - LEG: Stepping into a new experience.

3 - The World , The Tower , Page of Wands. Key , Ship , Dog. - CLOUDS: Temporary problems.

If you have something scheduled with a friend in the next three days for leisure and fun, know that your friend is truthful to you, but your plans may be postponed, or the person may be delayed when arriving.

You will start something new that will make you feel like an adult, that you're growing, or simply makes you realize you've come far in your personal transformation. It may be related to a new job, new place of study, a solo trip, or going abroad to study. These themes are favored in the next 72 hours.

Related to the previous message, I think anything that was blocking it will be removed, and this new thing will come to you. A helpful person will help fix it; don’t worry. You will have support during a meaningful transition phase in your life. You will also feel free.

☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

Pile 4

1- Three of Swords , Page of Wands , Judgement. House , Sun , Birds. - DARK WOMAN: Dealings or relationship with a woman with dark complexion or hair.

2 - The Fool , Four of Wands , Eight of Cups. Tower , Heart , Book. - DIAMOND: Gift of jewelry.

3 - Three of Cups , The Sun , Ten of Swords. Birds , Man , Fox. - TARGET: Goal-oriented person.

You will make peace with your mother or a family member. For some, it can be reconciliation with a friend, but I think the person is older than you. A boss is more likely than a friend. For fewer of you, your family will be supportive and make you see things about a relationship that only brought you pain, and now you’ll make a decision to move on with their support. For most people, I just see reconciliation.

Someone will make a sweet gesture toward you and reveal their feelings for you. It is not a love confession, but an action or token of affection that shows sentiment—maybe more sentiment than you thought existed. This will make you let go of an old situation or person that no longer suits you. Maybe this gesture from the person will remind you of your worth.

For some, after some realization, you will let go of the past—let go of someone who doesn’t open up about their feelings, even if it is a peaceful and stagnant relationship—and you will move on from that. You may read or see things online that give you insights into your sentiments and help you deal with your emotions.

You will hear gossip or third-party confirmation about someone's true intentions. You will end a fling or flirting situation to chase your goals.

You may say "no" to your friends so you can attend to work matters or study.

[zosan-secondchances]

The Pirate King of the North: Part 9

Bonus panels for some extra backstory.

Main Themes: Villain Sanji, Alternate Universe, Zosan Ship

Warning: Long post ahead with One Piece spoilers. Contains strong language and explicit content.

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 (Special) | 19

That night, the swordsman makes a last minute decision to rectify things with the blonde. He figured that there's no point in delaying as this might be the only chance they get to talk one-on-one before they get stuck in Skypiea with Law for however long they need to be up there. Since his cocktail-making skills are apparently subpar at best, he thought he'd turn to doing something else that he hopes Sanji would like before he pops the question–about the name, he reminds himself. Whatever it is, it will need to be something incredible to make up for the shame of not knowing something so simple about the man after all the years they’ve known together.

He thinks about quickly jumping off to collect some flowers in Jaya’s South Grove, but he is met by Jean Bart who drags his sorry feet back inside. The large man assigned himself on “Zoro duty”, not wanting the Warlord to get lost the night before he needed to depart with their captain. Apparently they had pissed him off enough already that day.

Zoro turns to the kitchen to try and find Sanji's favourite snacks, and maybe sneak away with a couple bottles of wine to help set the mood. Unfortunately he bumped into Hakugan and Uni who are guarding the door, ready to strike him down should he set foot inside the room. They give him a powerful performance of their martial arts prowess as a gentle reminder that he's banned from the place, warning him that they’re not afraid to put their lives on the line to enforce Law’s rules. When he tried to ask for their assistance to go and fetch what he needed, they both turned him away, thinking that he's just trying to distract them so he can do whatever evil thing he apparently was set out to do.

His last option was the library. He’s not much of a reader but he figured he would try because he knew of Sanji’s love for knowledge and books. He wants to read a story or two with him to see if that’s something they would enjoy doing together. Sadly, when he arrives, he is met by the Grand Line’s most impatient doctor who is currently studying the Skypiea map with Bepo at the polar bear’s drafting table, trying to come up with a plan of action for when they get there in the morning. Not wanting to be distracted or have the library wrecked the way Zoro did with the kitchen, Law used his Room ability to teleport him out of there before he could even get a chance to grab something off the shelves.

Having no other options left, Zoro resorts to the idea of giving the blonde mind-blowing sex. He would worship him like the king he is and he would do it all night if the other man demanded it so. The swordsman figured it's probably the safest bet anyway while they’re in the early honeymoon phase of their relationship. Sanji is highly skilled in that area for a very good reason.

He makes his way to their bunkroom. Under the door, he sees that the dim light of the desk lamp is still on. Finally, things are looking up. He thinks to himself that now’s the perfect chance to make a move while Sanji is probably still up reading at this hour as usual.

Until he hears a couple of familiar voices on the other side of the door. They were muffled, but their identities were clear.

Sanji

…Are you sure that you're okay? I don't know how effective it is with the front broken like that.

Niji

Dunno. It's like…having mood swings. The sensation goes in and out. It's a bit weird.

Sanji

I need you to get it fixed first then. And while you're at it, drop off the new stones at the lab.

I'm not sending you in until you're all good.

Niji

I can still fight.

Sanji

I'm not letting you take the risk until your helmet’s fixed, Niji. That's my final word. You’re on your own with this next mission and I need you to be able to make good calls.

Another pang of guilt hits the swordsman–for not being careful enough and wrecking the commander’s helmet, and for eavesdropping for as long as he has so far. He starts walking backwards, and was about to turn his heel and move somewhere else to give them privacy when Sanji’s voice pierced through the door.

Sanji

Hey, Mosshead! Don't be a creep and get in here.

Zoro flinches, and silently curses the blonde’s mastery of his observation haki. He doesn't want to make things look worse than it already is so he opens the door awkwardly. He's met by two pairs of eyes.

Sanji is leaning with his palms against the desk while Niji is sitting on the chair, fiddling with the blonde's claw gauntlet on the table. It looks like there's two now. From afar, Zoro could tell that their blades are longer, sharper and more dangerous than the last. The metallic scale armour that covered the glove is a new addition, having only just durable leather holding everything together before.

Niji

Spying on us, are we?

Zoro grits his teeth, throwing the blue-haired man an annoyed look.

Sanji

This is also his room, Commander.

Niji tuts disapprovingly then resumes his work on the claw gauntlet.

Zoro

I didn't want to interrupt. I’ll just head out for some fresh air.

Sanji

You didn't interrupt anything. The commander was just showing me his handiwork. He’ll be done soon! I just needed a couple of fitting adjustments done and we’re all set.

Niji

Hmm… no. Now that I think about it, this will take a bit longer than I thought. 

Sanji

What? But you said–

Niji

Whoops.

As if done on purpose, a buckle disassembles itself in Niji’s hands. Little bits of metal scatter on the desk.

Sanji

You’re such an ass. Fine. Stay here, hog the room. I don’t care. Let’s go, Marimo.

Niji

No, I need you to stay here so we can refit it. Because the buckle’s broken now.

Sanji

You broke it!

Niji

And I need to fix it but I can only do that if you’re here. So, stay.

Sanji

I will actually pluck your eyeballs out one of these days, Commander.

Sanji stomps out the door, grabbing Zoro’s arm along the way.

Niji

Where are you going? We need to get this done tonight before you head off first thing!

Sanji

I’ll be back!

Zoro and Sanji walk arm-in-arm quietly to the deck of the ship. They were met by Jean Bart who was about to tell off Zoro for being outside, but the blonde reassured the large man that he has eyes on him, promising to keep the grumbling swordsman out of trouble. Happy with the response, the Heart Pirate retires inside for the night.

Zoro

Isn’t the whole point of me being here is to keep an eye on you?

Sanji chuckled heartily–music to the swordsman’s ears.

Sanji

I know. What the hell happened to us?

They proceeded to the bow of the ship and settled themselves against the railing. It was quiet and serene. The crescent moon is up, revealing the dark silhouette of Jaya island on the horizon. Above, stars shone brightly across the span of the night sky–its reflections twinkled playfully on the still waters of the ocean below.

Sanji

You’re awfully quiet.

Zoro tears his gaze away from the scene. He looks next to him where the blonde has a hand wrapped around his arm and finishing a cigarette with the other.

Sanji

You usually are, but your silence is…louder somehow.

The swordsman rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. Suddenly he’s not so sure what to say and how he’d ask the big question. He wanted to get this far tonight–tried many times to set up the scene better but to no avail. He also didn’t realise how he would feel right in the thick of things.

Zoro

There’s been a lot in my mind. Sorry.

Sanji

Never apologise for that…but whatever it is, I could tell that it’s eating you up.

Zoro sighs and returns his gaze to the island on the horizon.

Sanji

Is this because you had a fight with my brother?

Zoro’s eyebrows shoot up.

Zoro

Did he–?

Sanji

He didn’t have to. His helmet's busted and don’t think I haven’t noticed your little injury on your forehead, damn Mosshead. If you don’t take care of your head, how will you be able to photosynthesize?

Zoro scowls at the mockery.

Sanji laughs lightly, kissing the swordsman on the cheek as a way of reassuring him that it’s just a joke. After noticing that his attempt to release the tension didn’t work, he speaks in a slightly more serious tone.

Sanji

Did he try to scare you away? Is that why you’ve been avoiding me all night?

Zoro shakes his head.

Sanji

Don’t freak out or anything but… you’re not the first that he’s done that to. I can tell him to back off if you want.

Zoro

No… it’ll take a lot more than that to get me to leave your side, Curls.

The blonde’s expression softens.

Zoro

Though, I didn’t mean to make you feel like I was trying to avoid you. I spent hours… ages… trying to plan this whole thing for us tonight but I feel like whatever I do…

The swordsman gets flashbacks of all the times he’d slashed and stabbed the man. He remembers cursing his way repeatedly for attempting to propose to him for the umpteenth time. He recalls their first kiss–how the first thing that came out of his mouth was to tell him to not kill the Celestial Dragon, and because of that, it nearly cost him his life. In fact, he might have permanently if not for their skillful doctor. He remembers the way the blonde held onto the liberated family from Sabaody. How, even in his critical condition, he fought from fully succumbing into sleep just to make sure that everyone was okay as they fled from the Pacifistas. 

And now, with a seemingly easy task of organising a romantic night, the swordsman can’t even do such a simple thing for him.

Zoro clenches his fists against the wooden railing.

Zoro

I can’t seem to do anything right by you…. I just feel like everything that I do is not good enough–or just flat out hurts you. And right now, I have nothing but myself to offer. For whatever that's worth.

Sanji

Zoro…

Zoro shifts so he’s looking at Sanji face to face then holds both of his hands in his, making the other man drop his cigarette. The determined fiery look in his eye makes the blonde jump in surprise.

Zoro

Curls, I want to get to know you better.

Sanji

Uh–sure!

Zoro

What’s your favourite food?

Sanji

Uhm… let’s see…

Zoro

If you had all the money in the world, where would you go?

Sanji

Oh Mellorine, I do have all the mon–

Zoro

How long does it take to get there?

Is that where you want to go for our first date?

Is shopping your thing? I'm not good with that stuff but I could ask Nami or Robin for advice.

If we’re going on holiday, can we do it alone first or would you prefer bringing your family along?

How many kids do you want to have?

Sanji

MARIMO!

Sanji thinks that he’s about to go crazy. His face is all red, he feels hot up to his ears and his heart is pounding so much like it's going to burst out of his chest. The swordsman’s sweetness and thoughtfulness overwhelms him with joy. He starts laughing out loud–in a way that he’s never laughed before, ignoring the slight ache from his recent surgery. He thinks that if he breaks stitches this way, so be it, because he’s never felt his chest so light and heart so full. He felt so happy that he could fly. 

The swordsman looked confused and offended from all the unhinged laughter like he was being made fun of.

Sanji cups Zoro’s face into his hands, trying his best to recover from his outburst.

Sanji

I didn’t realise that you needed to know everything now!

Zoro looks down to his lips, watching that attractive smile that he’s always drawn to.

Zoro

I just… I really wanted to… to…

Sanji pulls him in to claim his mouth with his. He pushes Zoro roughly against the railing, determined to show the swordsman how much he appreciates him at that very moment. He slides his hand up and down the man’s body, massaging, caressing and feeling everything that he could lay his hands on. He wants to show his love and admiration to the man by worshipping every part of him. Zoro was more than happy to reciprocate the affection.

They stayed like that for what seemed like a lifetime. Regrettably, Sanji pulls himself away from the most passionate kiss he's ever had in his life so he could breathe. He kept his body close as he panted.

Zoro leans in and continues his assault on his lips–biting and sucking hard then giving them soothing licks to ease the arousing pain–not wanting for everything to stop so soon. Between breaths, the blonde speaks.

Sanji

We have our entire lives to get to know one another…. What’s your rush, Marimo?

Zoro freezes at that, blinking his eye. Then for the first time that night, he smiles his genuine toothy smile.

Zoro

I guess we do, don’t we?

Sanji scoops up one of his rough hands and gives it a tender kiss on the calloused knuckles.

Sanji

I want to savour every moment of this–of us, okay? Right now, it’s just you, me… and this.

Sanji gestures at the scene in front of them, then swings his hand around to point out the environment surrounding them–the bright moon, the calm waters and the clear starry skies.

Sanji

Nothing else matters.

Zoro looks into his wide blue eyes. They're positively glowing a lot more so than usual tonight. He wraps his arms around the man and leans his forehead on his, kissing the bridge of his nose. The blonde was correct–nothing else mattered. It felt right to be there. In his heart, he decides to make it a mission to spend every waking moment to prove that he's worthy of his trust, even if it takes a lifetime for him to open up and tell him his real name. He would not demand it that day. He thinks that if he truly deserved it, the blonde will share it to him in time at his own volition. They do have a lifetime to get to know one another, after all.

The swordsman had lost a gamble with Nami that night. He’ll have to remember to send the navigator a couple hundred Beri through the post somehow for betting on him falling in love that year.

—

At a far distance, hidden in the thick mist of the sea, a particularly tall and lanky Warlord watches the blonde and his green-haired companion through the lens of his spyglass. With a flick of his wrist, he retracts the telescope and tosses it to a dark silhouette of a man.

Stranger

Now's the perfect time. Let’s do it.

Doflamingo

Hmm…no. I want to savour… every… moment of this….

He lets out a deep chuckle. 

Doflamingo

Besides, I have another job for you. But that’s tomorrow’s problem.

You are dismissed.

He waves off the man, and the figure walks off. Doflamingo stands from the comfort of his chair and takes a few long strides to the bow of the ship, never taking his eyes off the small dot on the horizon that is the Polar Tang.

Doflamingo

I’m grateful you showed us the way, Pirate King. You never fail me, do you?

…Sanji.

----------

I had way too much fun with those panel drawings. (Honestly part of it was me trying to find an excuse to draw more dofsan lol)

If it's not obvious yet, I try to line up certain things about this Sanji and canon Sanji. Instead of him being exclusively in love with mermaids, I like to think he loves all merfolk in this story.

Fukaboshi's always been the one on my mind as Sanji's "the one who got away" romance. I was rewatching Fish-man Island arc and I remembered how wise and noble he is, and has a great sense of responsibility to look after his family. I figured this Sanji would be attracted to those qualities.

Plus, you know, have you seen those big hands? Fwah~!

[e-on-edge]

Avalanche Part 1

(Trying to get used to 2nd person, while continuing the story. Bear with me. I also put a lot less work into this. Writing it in tumblr drafts and doing only the most basic of editing. I've given up trying to make it perfect I just want the ideas out of my head.)

Link to Part 2

This one is all fluff and fun! Not explicit, but the next part will be, which is why I'm leaving the 18+ warning up on this one.

A small warning for mentions of drugs and alcohol

The year was 1986. You’re in college now, just trying to get through your preliminaries before you have to finally pick a major. Unlike you, Caleb had everything planned. He was almost done with his degree and already had a job lined up at the DAA for when he graduated. It was different for you. You didn’t excel at school, at anything, the way Caleb did. He was a born natural at whatever he tried his hand at. Meanwhile, you needed a tutor to pass entry-level trig.

Caleb wasn’t happy about your choice, but Zayne was the smartest person you knew. Book smart, at least. Plus Caleb was so busy now with graduation prep and getting in his hours on the simulator he didn’t have the time to teach you the principles of imaginary numbers. Zayne did.

Zayne was going for his PhD, and he too was almost finished with his schooling. Next would be his residency, and he wasn’t looking forward to that. Mingling around with the other young doctors and nurses had never been where he felt comfortable. He wished he could just skip to the end where he was established in his career, but that wasn’t the way things worked. He was all too pleased when you asked him for help with something basic like Trigonometry. Math, and you, were definitely his comfort zone.

“I just don’t understand where I’m even going to need this.” You groan, pushing the textbook away with an air of disgust.

“You likely won’t once you graduate, but you will if you want to cross that stage.” Zayne put his pencil between his teeth as he pulled the book back to rest in front of you on the dining table. “One more try, then we’ll take a break. Let’s focus on this equation…”

“Ugh” You toss your head back and sink into the chair like a toddler. “Couldn’t we take a break now? We’ve been at it for hours, doc.”

Zayne can’t help the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He liked that you called him Doctor, even though he was still years away from being one.

“Alright, but not too long.” He leaned back, relaxing. “Your breaks have a habit of hijacking the day.”

The sound of keys at the door makes both of you turn. Caleb is home.

He enters the apartment with his head bowed, a sack of groceries dangling from his wrist as he wriggles the keys from the lock. When he looks up and meets your gaze, his brow furrows.

“Another study sesh?” He asks, walking into the kitchen to set the groceries on the counter.

“We’ve almost solved one equation.” You jest.

“That so?” Caleb says absently, stocking the fridge. He seems distracted, avoiding your gaze.

You get up from the table and walk over to him, wrapping your arms around his waist.

Behind you, Zayne takes a long sip of Dr. Pepper and watches the wall.

“Welcome home.” You muse, snuggling into Caleb’s chest. “I missed you.”

Caleb softens, wrapping his arms around you as he presses a light kiss to the top of your head.

“Missed you too, pipsqueak.” You watch his eyes flick across to the dining table before settling back on you. “I thought we could celebrate tonight, just the two of us.”

You glance over your shoulder to where Zayne is awkwardly trying to look occupied.

“What exactly are we celebrating?” You ask in a softer tone.

“I finally finished my hours on the simulator.” Caleb’s prideful smile breaks through his demeanor. “I bought us some champagne to share, and I was going to cook a special dinner but…” he trailed off before raising his voice to include Zayne in the conversation, “I only got enough for two. Sorry man.”

“That’s alright.” Zayne went to stand, brushing off his shirt, “We can finish studying later.”

You move away from Caleb, feeling guilty for making Zayne feel so unwelcome. You turn back, eyes pleading. Caleb sighs.

“No, wait,” he gives you a stern look, but when you don’t relent your pouting he continues, “Stay. I heard you’ve got something to celebrate as well.”

You whip around, finding Zayne frozen in the tiny apartment foyer.

“What’s he talking about?”

Zayne sighs. He’d been hoping to avoid this.

“Oh, nothing extravagant.” He breathed, bashfully rubbing his neck.

“That’s not what I heard.” Caleb went on, “I heard you saved some chick's life in the food court.”

Your eyes widen in awe.

“What?! Zayne! Why didn’t you say something?”

He winced slightly as you tugged on his sleeve, making apologetic eye contact with your boyfriend over your shoulder.

“It isn’t a big deal.” He shrugged, “She choked, that’s all.”

Caleb looked at Zayne knowingly but did not correct him further.

“Either way, you’re welcome to celebrate with us. This one hardly eats what I make her anyways, I’m sure we’ll have plenty of food for you.”

You shoot Caleb a glare.

“It’s not my fault I can’t keep up with your portion sizes, I don’t have that kind of metabolism.” You turn back to Zayne, grabbing his cold hand in yours. “Do stay.” You plead with a smile. “I promised you a break, after all, and if you go home you’ll just start working again and you know it.”

Zayne exhaled heavily through his nose, holding his coat in one hand, you in the other, one foot still pointed toward the door. You watch as his brow creases and relaxes with thought as if he’s weighing every outcome in his mind. Finally, he speaks.

“I suppose I could stay for dinner.” He set his coat back on the rack and moved away from the door.

“Bitchin'!” You shake him a little with excitement, planting a kiss on his cheek. The action wasn’t planned and startled you almost as much as it startled him, but nothing prepared you for Caleb’s burning stare. “Sorry.” You say, backing off. “I get too enthusiastic sometimes.”

“No worries.” Zayne hums, rubbing the spot on his cheek with a barely concealed grin.

“Who wants a drink?” Caleb interjects from the kitchen, already pouring a glass.

“Me!” you and Zayne say in unison.

Night sneaks up on all of you. The dining table was littered with messy dishes and dirty napkins, two empty bottles of champagne, and three half-full glasses remaining.

You twirl yours between nimble fingers, watching the golden liquid swirl. Your head feels heavy, your cheeks warm, and you aren't wasted but you're buzzing.

Zayne is also flushed, leaning back in his seat laughing at another one of Caleb’s anecdotes. The two men warmed to each other rather quickly once the alcohol started flowing. Laughing and joking in the way that men do. You cherished seeing them together like this, your two favorite people in the whole world. You couldn't wipe the smile from your face if you tried.

Caleb took another sip, still humming in amusement.

“I tried to tell Patrick he couldn't handle the altitude but he just wouldn't listen.” the pilot-to-be shook his head, “I've never seen anyone vomit that much in the simulator.”

“Sounds like a classmate of mine.” Zayne mused, “He gets sick at the sight of blood, yet wants to be a doctor? I don't think I will ever understand.”

Both men reach for the bottle, their hands colliding on the glass before pulling away clumsily.

“Sorry, you go ahead.”

“No, it's all yours.”

You sigh, grabbing the empty bottle and giving it a shake for their benefit.

“It's empty, dinguses,” you say with a sloppy grin. “Should someone go to the store for more?”

“No need,” Caleb grunts a bit as he stands, heading to the bedroom for a couple of confusing moments before reappearing with an ornate glass bottle of brown liquid. “I keep this for rainy days. Pip can't handle it, but what about you?”

Zayne smirks, sliding his glass over.

“I do have a fondness for whiskey,” he replies.

You fold your arms in a pout.

“What? And I'm just expected to sober up?”

Caleb smiles, pouring Zayne a shot.

“Check your bedside table.”

You smile at him in question, but he gestures you off with a nod of his head. “Go on.”

With an excited leap, you lurch from your chair, skipping to the bedroom to hunt for your present...whatever it is.

After some glancing around in the dark, you spot it. Illuminated by the smallest sliver of moonlight, near the shadow of your lamp, is a crinkled stick made of paper. You can smell its contents the moment you lay eyes on it, a heavenly sour blend of earth that you knew all too well. You snatch the joint without hesitation and fish a lighter from the drawer. Caleb always got you the best Kush. You didn't know where from, and you didn't care a wink. His little gifts were the only thing getting you through college free of a mental breakdown.

After blazing up and taking a couple much much-needed long hits, you saunter back into the living area with a more relaxed gait. The tension in your shoulders melts as the herb stings your lips, smoke trickling from your nostrils as you plop back down happily in your seat.

Caleb smiles over you in that warm, endearing way that makes your insides dance. He looked so handsome in the dim light. His purple eyes sparkled with mischief as he tossed back another shot.

You can't restrain your affections any longer.

Once Caleb was back in his seat, you moved to his lap, straddling him with a grin and a kiss. He welcomes you with a warm hand cupping your ass, squeezing just hard enough to hurt a little, and you loved it.

“Let’s all play a game.” you giggle, turning around on top of him so your upper body weight is supported by the table while he still cradles your hips. You look at Zayne with a warm smile, one he can never say no to. “It will be fun.”

Zayne looks at Caleb for a long moment before he looks back at you.

“What do you have in mind?”

You sit up, taking another long drag on your joint.

“Truth.” You lean forward again, breasts almost spilling from the top of your shirt. “Or dare.”

“Pipsqueak,” Caleb utters your name like a warning, his thumb stroking circles over the denim of your jeans. “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”

“Oh come on!” You whine, throwing your head against the polished wood. “It’s not a true celebration unless we do something silly.” You look at them both with doe eyes. “Please?”

“Fine, but let’s move to the couch.” Caleb picks you up, and drops you on your feet, patting your ass playfully as you skip toward the sofa.

Zayne follows, drink in hand.

Once the three of you are settled on the cushions comfortably, Caleb and Zayne share another shot over your head, cheering their glasses with a clink.

You pull your legs up, curling them underneath you so you don’t have to crane so much to see their faces.

“I’ll go first. Ask me.” You turn to Caleb expectantly, batting your lashes as he tucks your hair back.

“Truth or dare?” He hums, still gazing deep into your eyes.

“Dare.”

Caleb grins.

“I dare you to take a shot with us.”

Rolling your eyes, you smile. You saw that one coming a mile away. Caleb offered you his glass as he picked up the Jameson, pouring one out for you and Zayne and keeping the bottle for himself.

You hated whiskey. It was too rich, too strong, and the bittersweet sting of it lingered on your tongue for hours to come. Yet, you tossed it back without a single complaint, handing the glass back to your boyfriend with a superior smirk.

“My turn.” you shift, spinning on the cushion to face Zayne. “Truth or dare?”

“Truth, I suppose.” Zayne wipes a drop from his lip with a calculated swipe of his fingers.

“What happened with the girl in the food court?”

He smiled, almost laughing. He should have expected the question from you.

“She choked, that was true. Only, I wasn't present for that. The man who gave her the Heimlich punctured her lung. He couldn't have known, but she had dislocated a rib earlier at her rugby game. The resulting pressure from him trying to save her ended up putting her at even more dire risk.” His brow knit together as he recalled the events, his smile fading, “When I got there she wasn't breathing. I had to perform emergency thoracentesis to remove the excess fluid while we waited for paramedics.”

“Shit.” Caleb hissed under his breath, taking another drink.

“Whats, Thora-cent..ysis?” you ask, clumsily fumbling over the word.

Zayne lights up just slightly, inching closer to you to explain with his hands. He touches a spot between your lower ribs, and you twitch as it tickles.

“I poke a hole right here, to release the fluid buildup. Once she could breathe again, I kept the pressure on the wound until the medics arrived.” he removes his cold hand from your side, reaching for his drink again. He was starting to look red in the face. You wondered how drunk he was.

“That's incredible Zayne.” you breathe in awe, “They really should just make you a surgeon already.”

He chuckled.

“I still have a ways to go before I get there.” his green eyes flick up to Caleb over your shoulder. “Truth or dare, captain?”

The word hangs for a while in the air between them. An old taunt from childhood, in those formative years before Caleb matched Zayne in size, and could still be teased without consequence. You feel Caleb tense beside you, but his expression remains playful.

“Dare,” he commands.

“How predictable.” Zayne scoffs, tapping his chin as he thinks. “Alright. I dare you…to let me kiss your girlfriend.”

“Zayne!” You gasp, covering your mouth both from the shock but also to hide your unshakable grin.

Caleb, to your surprise, laughs.

“Trying to get me out this early in the game? Nuh-uh.” he chided, pulling your face forcefully into his lips as he planted a passionate, slobbering kiss on you. When he released you, he smeared his spit across your mouth with a wicked grin, practically pushing you into Zayne’s arms. “She's all yours.”

Zayne raised an eyebrow. He hadn't truly expected Caleb to allow this, he just wanted to win the game. Though, as you look up at him patiently, he wonders if he maybe had ulterior motives after all.

Zayne’s cool fingers brush your cheek before gently pulling you toward him. His arms wrapped around you, and he shifted to let you settle in his lap as he bent to meet your lips. Your breath catches as his tenderness soaks into your bones, the kiss light and sensitive. He doesn't stop after one or two. No. He holds you firm until he's had his fill of little kisses, passionate in his quiet way.

By the time he's done with you, your chest is heaving, and your face is red. You're afraid to look back at your boyfriend, who undoubtedly regrets his decision to stay in the game. Yet when you finally look at Caleb again, he seems unphased, tossing back another shot with only a subtle flush under his eyes.

“Truth or dare?” he asks you bluntly, keeping his eyes locked on Zayne.

“Truth.” You whisper, wanting to steer the game in a different direction - though the palpable tension in the air suggested it was much too late for that.

“Did you like him kissing you?” Caleb asks immediately.

“Caleb…” you move toward him, but one strong hand grabs you by the wrist, stopping you from touching him.

“Answer.”

“…yes.” your reply is scarcely audible over your heartbeat, pounding like drums against your skull.

“Zayne? Truth or dare?” Caleb continued, letting you go.

Zayne’s brow tightened, he knew he was being backed into a corner. Caleb always did this, even when they were kids. Zayne might've been the oldest but Caleb was always the one in control, and neither of them cared to lose. Not then, not now.

“Dare.”

You sank back between them, just praying things didn't escalate the same way they did on the playground all those years ago.

“Kiss her again.” Caleb's tone darkened as he took another shot.

You sit up, shocked.

“Caleb!”

Zayne wasted no time, he cupped your face and pulled you into another deliciously tender kiss.

You push him off with a grunt, fighting the pleasure back into its hiding place deep inside you.

“Enough!” you snap, standing from the couch in a huff, “I’m not a stick to measure your dicks with!”

Silence.

What had you just said? Was that what you meant to say? “No, I mean,” you stutter, a smile cracking your serious expression, “The stick isn't me, just that you two - stop -” you chuckle despite yourself “I'm not a toy, is what I mean!”

You look up, your cheeks burning from embarrassment. The two young men share a look of confusion before they too break into laughter.

“Come’ere Pipsqueak,” Caleb opens his arms in wait, and you happily fly to him. He wraps you in a comforting embrace, stroking your hair. “We know what you meant. I'm sorry.”

“Me too.” Zayne agreed. “I'm so very sorry. That was…childish of me.”

“Of both of us,” Caleb adds, kissing your forehead. “Forgive us?”

You rub your eyes with a grin, nodding. You couldn't stay mad even if you wanted to, the weed saw to that.

“You were right. This game was a bad idea.”

“No…” Caleb hummed reassuringly, “To be honest, watching you two was kinda hot.”

Zayne chuckled, thinking Caleb was joking, but you knew better. His tone was sincere, aroused even.

“Really?” you ask, surprised.

Caleb shrugs and nods.

“What? I can't have kinks?” He tickles you, making you laugh and wriggle in his arms.

“Of course you can!” you exclaim, trying to break away. “I just would never expect that to be one.”

“Wait, are you serious?” Zayne asks, finally catching on. His cheeks were bright red.

“Relax Doctor,” Caleb said, nuzzling your neck as he crawled over you. You giggled, scooting back until you were in Zayne’s lap again, Caleb still nibbling at your throat. “We don't bite.”

He pulls off of you, his violet eyes lidded with lust. You look up at Zayne, who is in a similar state of distress.

“Truth or dare?” you ask the green-eyed boy behind you, your voice shaking with excitement.

He lets out a stuttered gasp.

“Dare.”